Psychology

Engineering

Health care

Economics

Environmental health

Work (physics)

Population

Economic growth

Duration (music)

Business

Parental leave

Wage

Labour economics

Demographic economics

Literature

Nursing

Sick leave

Family Leave

Maternity leave

Medicine

Mechanical engineering

Annual Review of Public Health

This article reviews the evidence on the impacts of paid family and medical leave (PFML) policies on workers’ health, family well-being, and employer outcomes. While an extensive body of research demonstrates the mostly beneficial effects of PFML taken by new parents on infant, child, and parental health, less is known about its impact on employees who need leave to care for older children, adult family members, or elderly relatives. The evidence on employers is similarly limited but indicates that PFML does not impose major burdens on them. Taken together, the evidence suggests that PFML policies are likely to have important short- and long-term benefits for population health, without generating large costs for employers. At thesame time, further research is needed to understand the effects of different policy parameters (e.g., wage replacement rate and leave duration) and of other types of leave beyond parental leave.

The Impacts of Paid Family and Medical Leave on Worker Health, Family Well-Being, and Employer Outcomes