2023-09-28 14:46:10 +00:00
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abstract: 'This paper investigates the health effects of the introduction of a near
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universal paid parental leave (PPL) scheme in Australia, representing a
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natural social policy experiment. Along with gender equity and workforce
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engagement, a goal of the scheme (18 weeks leave at the minimum wage
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rate) was to enhance the health and wellbeing of mothers and babies.
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Although there is evidence that leave, especially paid leave, can
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benefit mothers'' health post-partum, the potential health benefits of
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implementing a nationwide scheme have rarely been investigated. The data
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come from two cross-sectional surveys of mothers (matched on their
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eligibility for paid parental leave), 2347 mother''s surveyed pre-PPL and
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3268 post-PPL. We investigated the scheme''s health benefits for mothers,
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and the extent this varied by pre-birth employment conditions and job
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characteristics. Overall, we observed better mental and physical health
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among mothers after the introduction of PPL, although the effects were
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small. Post-PPL mothers on casual (insecure) contracts before birth had
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significantly better mental health than their pre-PPL counterparts,
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suggesting that the scheme delivered health benefits to mothers who were
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relatively disadvantaged. However, mothers on permanent contracts and in
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managerial or professional occupations also had significantly better
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mental and physical health in the post-PPL group. These mothers were
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more likely to combine the Government sponsored leave with additional,
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paid, employer benefits, enabling a longer paid leave package
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post-partum. Overall, the study provides evidence that introducing paid
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maternity leave universally delivers health benefits to mothers. However
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the modest 18 week PPL provision did little to redress health
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inequalities. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.'
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affiliation: 'Hewitt, B (Corresponding Author), Univ Melbourne, Sch Social \& Polit
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Sci, Parkville, Vic 3010, Australia.
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Hewitt, Belinda, Univ Melbourne, Sch Social \& Polit Sci, Parkville, Vic 3010, Australia.
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Strazdins, Lyndall, Australian Natl Univ, Natl Ctr Epidemiol \& Populat Hlth, Canberra,
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ACT, Australia.
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Martin, Bill, Univ Queensland, Social Sci Res Inst, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.'
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author: Hewitt, Belinda and Strazdins, Lyndall and Martin, Bill
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author-email: belinda.hewitt@unimelb.edu.au
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author_list:
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- family: Hewitt
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given: Belinda
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- family: Strazdins
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given: Lyndall
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- family: Martin
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given: Bill
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da: '2023-09-28'
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doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.04.022
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files: []
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issn: 0277-9536
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journal: SOCIAL SCIENCE \& MEDICINE
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keywords: 'Australia; Maternal leave; Maternal health and wellbeing; Work place
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policy'
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keywords-plus: 'MENTAL-HEALTH; CHILD-CARE; EMPLOYMENT; TIME; DEPRESSION; OUTCOMES;
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QUALITY; FAMILY; COUNTRIES; POLICIES'
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language: English
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month: JUN
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number-of-cited-references: '49'
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orcid-numbers: Strazdins, Lyndall/0000-0001-5158-6855
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pages: 97-105
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papis_id: 298c678463abc7a7d30e55a0f083038d
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ref: Hewitt2017benefitspaid
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times-cited: '30'
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title: 'The benefits of paid maternity leave for mothers'' post-partum health and
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wellbeing: Evidence from an Australian evaluation'
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2023-10-01 08:15:07 +00:00
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type: article
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2023-09-28 14:46:10 +00:00
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unique-id: WOS:000402215400012
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usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
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usage-count-since-2013: '32'
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volume: '182'
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web-of-science-categories: 'Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health; Social Sciences,
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Biomedical'
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year: '2017'
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