Impact of Paid Family Leave (PFL) on Hours of Sleep

• In Event: Support or Strain? The Real-World Impact of Family Policy on Health, Care, and Work

Abstract

This study explores the impact of Paid Family Leave (PFL) policies on caregivers’ sleep duration, an understudied but important dimension of well-being. While previous literature has largely focused on labor supply and employment outcomes following PFL adoption, this research shifts attention to a key health-related behavior—hours of sleep—which plays a critical role in cognitive function, emotional regulation, and long-term physical health.
Leveraging the staggered implementation of state-level PFL policies across California (2004), New Jersey (2009), Rhode Island (2014), and New York (2018), the study employs a quasi-experimental design to estimate causal effects. The variation in policy timing across states offers a natural setting for identifying treatment effects using a modern Difference-in-Differences (DID) approach (Callaway & Sant’Anna, 2021).To construct the analysis, two nationally representative datasets are used. First, the Current Population Survey (CPS, 1999–2020) is utilized to estimate how the number of workers taking caregiving-related leave (due to own illness, childcare, family obligations, or maternity/paternity leave) changed after the implementation of PFL in their state. Second, the American Time Use Survey (ATUS, 1999–2020) is used to analyze whether PFL led to an increase in average sleep duration among employed individuals.
The findings suggest that access to Paid Family Leave modestly increases average sleep duration. Specifically, estimates indicate a 0.12-hour (approximately 7.2 minutes) increase in daily sleep for workers in states with PFL, relative to those in states without such policies.These results contribute to a growing body of evidence on the broader health and time-use consequences of family leave policies. By highlighting sleep as a meaningful outcome, this research provides new insights into how social insurance programs can support not only labor force participation but also the physical and mental well-being of caregivers.

Author

• Niloufar Erfanibehrouz, Syracuse University
  Presenting Author