2025 Theses Doctoral

Impact of Paid Family Leave on Maternal Employment and Household Economic Security

Lee, Jiwan

This dissertation includes three papers that examine the role of paid family leave (PFL) policy in supporting maternal employment and improving household economic security.

Paper 1 examines mothers’ employment trajectories around childbirth and evaluates the extent to which state-level PFL promotes job continuity after childbirth. Paper 2 investigates the long-term effects of California’s PFL program on mothers’ employment and earnings up to 11 years after childbirth. Paper 3 assesses the effects of New York’s PFL policy on household poverty following childbirth, examining whether improvements in maternal employment serve as a key mechanism.