Parental Leave Policies And Parents Employment And Leave-taking

Utilizing data from the June Current Population Survey (CPS) Fertility Supplement merged with data from other months of the CPS, the authors describe trends in parents' employment and leave-taking after birth of a newborn and analyze the extent to which these behaviors are associated with parental leave policies. The period they examine - 1987 to 2004 - is one in which such policies were expanded at both the state and federal level. They also provide the first comprehensive evidence as to how these expansions are correlated with employment and leave-taking for both mothers and fathers over this period.