Return to work after childbirth: Does parental leave matter in Europe?

This paper investigates the role of extended parental leave in the return to work of mothers of newborn children. Exploiting the variability in policies offered by European countries, the paper studies the influence of statutory leave on the probability of returning to work at different ages of the child. Results suggest that providing paid leaves increases the probability of remaining at home when the child is under 3, and that lengthy statutory leaves are associated with being more likely to return eventually to work.