Time at Home for Whom? Unequal Returns of Paid Family Leave for Infant White Matter and Language Development
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Paid family leave (PFL) may give parents more time with infants, ease financial strain, and support stable routines. Although PFL has been linked to child development, little is known about neural pathways that might underpin its benefits or whether associations vary across families. Using data from 274 infants in the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study, we examined associations of maternal and paternal PFL with language ability at 12 months and white matter microstructure at 6 months. We tested whether associations varied by the corresponding parent’s education. Neither maternal nor paternal PFL was directly associated with language scores or fractional anisotropy in the left arcuate, inferior longitudinal, or uncinate fasciculus. Maternal education moderated associations between maternal PFL and fractional anisotropy in the arcuate ( p = .014) and inferior longitudinal fasciculus ( p = .003; n = 148). In both tracts, PFL was associated with higher fractional anisotropy only among infants whose mothers had relatively high education. No comparable pattern emerged for language, the uncinate fasciculus, or paternal PFL. Findings suggest that the neurodevelopmental correlates of PFL may depend on family resources rather than operate uniformly across families, underscoring the need to pair paid leave with additional supports and resources. Lay Summary Paid family leave may give parents more time at home, steadier daily routines, and less financial worry in the months after a birth, all of which could change the care an infant receives. But these benefits may not be equal across families. In a national study of infants, we examined whether paid leave taken by mothers, fathers or partners was related to early language skills and to the organization of brain pathways involved in language. Paid leave was not directly related to language scores or brain development overall. However, maternal paid leave was associated with more mature organization in two language-related brain pathways only among infants whose mothers had higher levels of education. No similar pattern was found for father or partner leave. These findings suggest that paid leave alone may not reduce early developmental disparities, and that policies offering paid leave may need to be paired with additional support for families with fewer resources.
Authors: Molly F. Lazarus, Charles A. Nelson
Institutions: Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7221850306