The long-run impacts of paid maternity leave on height and educational attainment

Abstract

Abstract This study investigates the extent to which paid maternity leave affects educational attainment and adult height in 29 developing countries between 1990 and 2019. The identification hinges upon the variation in the educational achievement and health outcomes of individuals residing in the same place but exposed to different lengths of paid maternity leave at birth due to policy reforms. The analysis uncovers the long-lasting favorable effects of paid maternity leave as an additional week of leave duration could result in an increase of around 0.007 years in educational attainment and 0.056 cm in adult height. The study calls for the enforcement and extension of paid maternity leave.