Fernanda Rojas Ampuero es Profesora Asistente en la Universidad de Wisconsin-Madison. Es Licenciada en Economía y Magíster en Economía por la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) y en 2022 obtuvo su PhD en Economía por la Universidad de California Los Angeles (UCLA). Posteriormente fue becaria postdoctoral en la Universidad de Harvard.  Sus investigaciones se centran en temas de economía laboral, economía del desarrollo, economía urbana e historia económica.

Abstract: This paper studies the short- and medium-term effects of extending parental leave on women's labor market outcomes. I exploit a reform implemented in Chile in 2011 that extended women's parental leave from 84 to 168 days. I combine administrative data on leave claims with employer-employee data to estimate the effect of a longer leave on women's wages and employment seven years after childbirth. My results show that women exposed to the reform extend parental leave in 78 days and reduce the use of other sick-leave claims. Exposed mothers are more likely to be formally employed for four years after childbirth and conditional on employment, their wages are higher in the medium term. The positive employment effects are driven by single women and workers without a college education, while married women are more likely to transition to more flexible jobs. My results suggest a longer leave protects single mothers from leaving the formal labor market after childbirth, and thus reduces the child penalty in the medium term.

Autora: Fernanda Rojas Ampuero (Universidad de Wisconsin-Madison)

Organizan: Departamento de Economía, Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Revista Económica

Contacto: iie@econo.unlp.edu.ar