Workplace Breastfeeding Legislation and Female Labor Force Participation in the United States

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that workplace breastfeeding legislation in the US significantly boosts female labor force participation, with effects varying by state and subgroup, and also influences breastfeeding practices.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the positive impact of breastfeeding laws on women's employment and highlights heterogeneity and spillover effects across different groups.

Findings

Legislation increases female labor force participation by at least 1.5 percentage points.

Effects are more pronounced in states with initially low FLFP.

Negative spillover effects observed among women without young children.

Abstract

This paper studies the effects of legislation mandating the provision of workplace breastfeeding amenities on the labor force participation of women in the United States. Using both the American Community Survey and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, in a staggered difference-in-differences framework, I find evidence that workplace breastfeeding legislation significantly increases the likelihood of female labor force participation (FLFP) across both datasets and multiple specifications, by at least 1.5 percentage points. The timing and magnitude of the post-law increases in FLFP differ across the two datasets. I bolster the analyses using the CDC's Infant Feeding Practices Survey and the Childhood and Adoption Supplement to the PSID, which further suggest an influence of the laws on breastfeeding women. Heterogeneity analysis indicates the presence of substantial treatment effect heterogeneity across subgroups, but the findings are specific to the separate datasets. Across both datasets, the legislation appears to be more effective in states where average pre-law FLFP was comparatively low. I also find evidence of a negative spillover effect, whereby women without children and women with older children may have reduced their LFP in response to the legislation.