Paid maternity leave associated with reduced infant deaths

Paid maternity leave associated with reduced infant deaths

It’s already been demonstrated by studies that paid maternity leave in affluent countries has benefits including reduced neonatal and infant mortality. Previous research has also demonstrated that paid maternity leave has been connected to improved outcomes for mothers and babies including lower rates of postpartum depression, more successful breastfeeding, and higher compliance with routine checkups and immunizations for baby. A new study examined effects of paid maternity leave in middle to low income countries. They found that there, too, paid maternity leave is connected to reduced infant mortality. According to the researchers, “Each additional month of paid maternity was associated with 7.9 fewer infant deaths per 1,000 live births (95% CI 3.7, 12.0), reflecting a 13% relative reduction.” This new research demonstrates that in the 20 countries investigated, paid leave could make significant improvements in infant mortality.

You can read the full study article at PLOS Medicine as well as access a list of related links for more information about paid leave around the world.

The United States, which does not have a paid parental leave law, ranked 58th in the world in 2015 in terms of infant mortality rates, with more than 5 deaths per 1,000 children born. Monaco, Iceland, Japan, Singapore, and Norway lead the world with the lowest rates of infant mortality. You can view the list from the World Factbook here.

 

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