PARENTAL LEAVE - POLICY AND RESEARCH

Parental leave, a key aspect of family policy, is a relatively new con cept in the United States; it is crucial that policy development be gu ided by social science research, In this article we first review polic y issues associated with parental leave. Following that, we consider r elevant social science research pertaining to parental leave and mothe rs' and fathers' functioning (e.g., mental health, relationship with s pouse and infant). We focus particularly on results emerging from the Wisconsin Maternity Leave and Health Project, which suggest, for examp le, that short leave (6 weeks or less) for women is a risk factor, whe n combined with other risk factors such as marital concerns, for depre ssion. We conclude with policy implications of this and related resear ch.