Paper #1934

Title:

When fathers step in: Long-term consequences of early paternal involvement

Authors:

Sébastien Fontenay and Libertad González Luna

Date:

December 2025

Abstract:

We estimate the long-term impact of early paternal involvement by exploiting the 2002 Belgian paternity leave introduction as a natural experiment. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that the reform significantly increased fathers’ long-term time investment in childcare. Tracking children into early adulthood, we find precisely estimated null effects on a comprehensive set of outcomes, including educational attainment, labor market attachment, and family formation. These results hold across subgroups, including children of low and high- educated fathers. We conclude that while paternity leave may increase father involvement, it does not generate detectable advantages (or disadvantages) in children’s early adult lives.

Keywords:

Paternity leave , intergenerational effects

JEL codes:

J08, J13, J16, J18

Area of Research:

Labour, Public, Development and Health Economics

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