Effect of State Paid Family Leave Policies on Inequalities in Maternity Leave Usage in the United States

Schenck, Samantha Marie

doi:10.1007/s11294-020-09781-5

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…21,22 With access to paid family and medical leave, more individuals, especially those who are disadvantaged, will take leave. 19,23 Access to paid family and medical leave is part of the debate about health equity. Despite the many documented maternal and child health benefits, a large proportion of the U.S. working population lacks access to paid family and medical leave.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The FMLA lacks income replacement, requiring individuals to have access to other sources of financial support (ie, savings, partner’s income) or otherwise continue working. 19 Although the FMLA has been associated with increased birth weight, decreased likelihood of preterm birth, and decreased infant mortality rates, these benefits were seen only among college-educated and married mothers. 20 The lack of financial resources for individuals taking FMLA-covered leave likely represents a key mechanism by which postpartum health is differentially affected.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…21,22 With access to paid family and medical leave, more individuals, especially those who are disadvantaged, will take leave. 19,23…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Association Between State Paid Family and Medical Leave and Breastfeeding, Depression, and Postpartum Visits

Perry,

Bui,

Yee

et al. 2023

Obstetrics &Amp; Gynecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of state paid family and medical leave policies with the likelihood of breastfeeding, postpartum depression symptoms, and attendance of the postpartum visit. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that used 2016–2019 data from PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) for 43 states and Washington, DC. We describe the association of state paid family and medical leave generosity with rates of breastfeeding, postpartum depression symptoms, and attendance of the postpartum visit. Logistic and Poisson regression models tested the significance of state paid family and medical leave coverage generosity after controlling for individual respondent sociodemographic characteristics, with sensitivity analyses for respondents with deliveries covered by Medicaid insurance. RESULTS: Of the 143,131 respondents, representative of an estimated 7,426,725 population, 26.2% lived in eight states and DC with the most generous paid family and medical leave, 20.5% lived in nine states with some paid family and medical leave, and 53.3% lived in 26 states with little or no paid family and medical leave. Overall, 54.8% reported breastfeeding at 6 months or at time of the survey, ranging from 59.5% in the most generous paid family and medical leave states to 51.0% in states with the least paid family and medical leave coverage. Postpartum depression symptoms varied from 11.7% in the most generous states to 13.3% in the least generous states (both P<.001). State differences in postpartum visit attendance rates (90.9% overall) did not differ significantly. After adjusting for respondent characteristics, compared with states with the least paid family and medical leave, breastfeeding was 9% more likely (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 1.09, 95% CI, 1.07–1.11) in states with the strongest paid family and medical leave coverage and 32% more likely (aIRR 1.32, 95% CI, 1.25–1.39) in analyses limited to respondents with deliveries covered by Medicaid insurance. A more generous state paid family and medical leave policy was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of postpartum depression symptoms compared with states with the least paid family and medical leave (adjusted odds ratio 0.85, 95% CI, 0.76–0.94) and a modest but significant increase in postpartum visit attendance (aIRR 1.03, 95% CI, 1.01–1.04) among respondents with deliveries covered by Medicaid insurance. CONCLUSION: Respondents from states with strong paid family and medical leave had a greater likelihood of breastfeeding and had lower odds of postpartum depression symptoms, with stronger associations among respondents with deliveries covered by Medicaid insurance. Despite major potential health benefits of paid family and medical leave, the United States remains one of the few countries without federally mandated paid parental leave.

show abstract