Chile Boosts Women’s Employment With Leave Expansion

Why this is here: Chile’s policy change provided roughly three extra years of employment for women following the expansion of postnatal leave in 2011.

Francisca Rojas-Ampuero studied employment trends in Chile following a 2011 expansion of maternity leave. Rojas-Ampuero examined data from fourteen years to assess the impact of the policy change.

Chile increased postnatal leave from twelve to twenty-four weeks for women who contribute to social security. The reform also included five days of paid paternity leave for fathers.

The research shows women experienced roughly a three-year boost in employment after the leave expansion. The effect was most pronounced for women with lower levels of education. Rojas-Ampuero found no negative impact on men’s employment rates following the introduction of paid paternity leave.

However, the study does not examine the long-term effects beyond the three-year window. It also focuses specifically on women contributing to the social security system, limiting the scope of its findings. Further research could explore impacts on women outside this group and track employment changes over a longer period.