Paid parental leave helps caregivers form a closer bond with their babies and toddlers – a vital relationship which improves children’s physical, cognitive and emotional development. It also strengthens child health, family relationships, and career outcomes for women. Despite overwhelming evidence on the benefits, access to parental leave and levels of coverage are very unequal globally.
Governments and employers have several tools at their disposal to support child development by improving the length, generosity and participation in parental leave programmes.
We produced this policy brief as part of a series that compiles all the need-to-know information on the early years.
This collection of eight policy briefs explains some of the greatest challenges facing young children around the world.
