Time to Recover and Bond: The Relationship Between State Paid Family Leave Policies and Postpartum Leave-Taking

Leave-taking around childbirth benefits families; however, the US federal government has no paid family and medical leave (PFL) policy, resulting in substantial inequities. This study used data from the Postpartum Assessment of Health Survey to understand the role of PFL in making leave accessible and affordable for postpartum people. We find the presence of state-level PFL is associated with longer leave and more paid leave. Respondents in PFL states take almost 3 more weeks of paid leave compared with those in non-PFL states. Among higher earners, the availability of paid leave is additive, whereas lower-earning families substitute weeks of paid leave for unpaid leave. Across policy environments, we observed that taking any paid leave was associated with high rates of returning to work and with higher rates of returning to work full-time. Our study highlights the importance of PFL policies in buying parents more time at home and providing economic security at an otherwise precarious time.