Published in:
The Scandinavian Journal of Economics 2015 117 (3) p.p.801–828.
DOI: 10.1111/sjoe.12113
Abstract:
Reserving a share of the parental leave period for fathers is considered necessary in order to induce fathers to take leave, and to increase men's participation in child-rearing. We investigate how a parental leave reform directed towards fathers affected leave-taking, and, in turn, children's and parents' long-term outcomes. A paternal leave quota greatly increases the share of men taking paternity leave. We find evidence that children's school performance improves as a result, particularly in families where the father has higher education than the mother. We find no evidence that paternity leave counters the traditional allocation of parents' labor supply.