106 lines
3.4 KiB
YAML
106 lines
3.4 KiB
YAML
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abstract: 'The struggle to balance work responsibilities with family obligations
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may be most difficult for working parents of the youngest children,
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those five and under. Any policy changes designed to ease the
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difficulties for these families are likely to be controversial,
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requiring a careful effort to weigh both the costs and benefits of
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possible interventions while respecting diverse and at times conflicting
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American values. In this article, Christopher Ruhm looks at two
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potential interventions-parental leave and early childhood education and
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care (ECEC)-comparing differences in policies in the United States,
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Canada, and several European nations and assessing their consequences
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for important parent and child outcomes.
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By and large, Canadian and European policies are more generous than
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those in the United States, with most women eligible for paid maternity
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leave, which in a few countries can last for three years or more. Many
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of these countries also provide for paid leave that can be used by
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either the mother or the father. And in many European countries ECEC
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programs are nearly universal after the child reaches a certain age. In
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the United States, parental leave, if it is available, is usually short
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and unpaid, and ECEC is generally regarded as a private responsibility
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of parents, although some federal programs help defray costs of care and
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preschool education.
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Ruhm notes that research on the effects of differences in policies is
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not completely conclusive, in part because of the difficulty of
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isolating consequences of leave and ECEC policies from other influences
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on employment and children''s outcomes. But, he says, the comparative
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evidence does suggest desirable directions for future policy in the
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United States. Policies establishing rights to short parental leaves
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increase time at home with infants and slightly improve the job
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continuity of mothers, with small, but positive, long-run consequences
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for mothers and children. Therefore, Ruhm indicates that moderate
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extensions of existing U. S. leave entitlements (up to several months in
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duration) make sense. He also suggests that some form of paid leave
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would facilitate its use, particularly among less advantaged parents,
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and that efforts to improve the quality of ECEC, while maintaining or
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enhancing affordability, are desirable.'
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affiliation: 'Ruhm, CJ (Corresponding Author), Univ Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
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22903 USA.
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Ruhm, Christopher J., Univ Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903 USA.
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Ruhm, Christopher J., Natl Bur Econ Res, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA.'
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author: Ruhm, Christopher J.
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author_list:
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- family: Ruhm
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given: Christopher J.
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da: '2023-09-28'
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eissn: 1550-1558
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files: []
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issn: 1054-8289
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journal: FUTURE OF CHILDREN
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keywords-plus: 'MATERNITY LEAVE LEGISLATION; CAREER INTERRUPTIONS; AFFECT FERTILITY;
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FAMILY POLICY; UNITED-STATES; EMPLOYMENT; MOTHERS; HEALTH; IMPACT; GAP'
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language: English
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month: FAL
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number: '2'
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number-of-cited-references: '109'
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pages: 37-68
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papis_id: 152a82a55629301500d6a8fa2005bb97
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ref: Ruhm2011policiesassist
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times-cited: '44'
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title: Policies to Assist Parents with Young Children
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type: Article
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unique-id: WOS:000296020800003
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usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
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usage-count-since-2013: '70'
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volume: '21'
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web-of-science-categories: 'Family Studies; Health Policy \& Services; Social Sciences,
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Interdisciplinary'
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year: '2011'
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