title: Paid maternity leave and breastfeeding practice before and after California's implementation of the nation's first paid family leave program.
abstract: California was the first state in the United States to implement a paid family leave (PFL) program in 2004. We use data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study to examine the changes in breastfeeding practices in California relative to other states before and after the implementation of PFL. We find an increase of 3-5 percentage points for exclusive breastfeeding and an increase of 10-20 percentage points for breastfeeding at several important markers of early infancy. Our study supports the recommendation of the Surgeon General to establish paid leave policies as a strategy for promoting breastfeeding.
authors: Bates White LLC, 1300 Eye Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005, United States. Electronic address: rui.huang@bateswhite.com.
authors: Rui
authors: R
authors: Huang
authors: Department of Economics, Rauch Business Center, Lehigh University, 621 Taylor Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015, United States. Electronic address: muzheyang@lehigh.edu.
authors: Muzhe
authors: M
authors: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009035:Mothers; D016524:Parental Leave / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014931:Women, Working / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Breastfeeding; California's paid family leave; Maternity leave