Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

In 2009, New Jersey became the second state to provide universal paid maternity leave program for working mothers to bond with their newborn. Using Current Population Survey data from 2004-2015, I estimate whether the presence of this paid leave program increased the likelihood that New Jersey mothers took leave, maintained employment, or received any income from public assistance programs during the year following childbirth. Comparing New Jersey mothers to several counterfactual populations using difference-in-difference, there is little evidence that the New Jersey paid leave program had any effect on new mothers’ leave-taking, receipt of paid leave benefits, or increased rates of employment.