After California made paid-family leave a law in 2004, fathers were 46% more likely to take paternity leave in the first year of their kid’s life, according to a study by Maya Rossin-Slater and colleagues. The researchers found that the policy increased father-only leave-taking (i.e., dad takes leave while mom is at work) by 50% and joint parental leave by 28%. “These effects are much larger for fathers of sons than for fathers of daughters”, they write, and are “almost entirely driven by fathers of first-born children and fathers in occupations with a high share of female workers.”
Source: Paid Family Leave, Fathers' Leave-Taking, and Leave-Sharing in Dual-Earner Households
