Divergent trends in U.S. maternity and paternity leave, 1994–2015
Files
Accepted manuscript
Date
2017-03
Authors
Zagorsky, Jay L.
Version
Accepted manuscript
OA Version
Citation
Jay L Zagorsky. 2017. "Divergent Trends in US Maternity and Paternity Leave, 1994–2015." American Journal of Public Health, Volume 107, pp. 460 - 465. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2016.303607
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective is to determine the number and type of U.S. workers taking maternity or paternity leave.
METHODS: This research analyzes secondary data from 1994 to 2015 from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS surveys about 60,000 randomly selected households monthly and provides a publicly available ecological long-term series for measuring parental leave.
RESULTS: The average month from 1994 to 2015 saw 273,000 women and 13,000 men on maternity or paternity leave. Maternity leave figures show no trend over 22 years. Paternity figures increase by a factor of three, but start from a small base. No national impact on maternity or paternity leave was observed after implementation of state laws which provided paid leave. About half (51.1%) of employees on maternity or paternity leave during 2015 received paid time off. The typical woman on maternity leave was older, more likely married, more likely white non-Hispanic and more educated than the typical woman who gave birth.
CONCLUSION: While the US economy expanded dramatically since 1994, this improvement does not appear to have translated into more women taking maternity leave.