TIME OFF WORK AND THE POSTPARTUM HEALTH OF EMPLOYED WOMEN

OBJECTIVES. Parental and maternity leave policies are a popular fringe benefit among childbearing employed women and a benefit employers fre quently are required to offer. However, few rigorous evaluations of th e effect of maternal leave on maternal health exist. METHODS. Using a hybrid of the household and health production theories of Becker and G rossman and a sample of women identified from state vital statistics r ecords, a nonlinear relationship between maternal postpartum health an d time off work after childbirth was estimated. RESULTS. For women tak ing more than 12 weeks leave, time off work had a positive effect on v itality. With more than 15 weeks leave, time off work had a positive e ffect on maternal mental health, and with more than 20 weeks leave, ti me off work had a positive effect on role function. Subjects' mental h ealth scores were comparable and vitality scores slightly lower than a ge-and gender-specific norms; 70% of women studied reported role funct ion limitations. CONCLUSIONS. Findings suggest employed women experien ce problems in well-being at approximately seven months postpartum. Va riables associated with improved health include: longer maternity leav es, fewer prenatal mental health symptoms, fewer concurrent physical s ymptoms, more sleep, increased social support, increased job satisfact ion, less physical exertion on the job, fewer infant symptoms, and les s difficulty arranging child care.