Maternity benefits mandate and women’s choice of work in Vietnam
研究了越南2012年延长产假的法律如何影响女性在正规与非正规部门之间的工作选择，发现该法律增加了正规就业并减少了无酬劳动，尤其促使女性从农业家庭工作转向制造业等正规部门。
Despite a sizable literature on the labor market effects of maternity leave regulation on women in developed countries, how these policies affect women’s work in developing countries with a large informal sector remains poorly understood. This study examines how extending the maternity leave requirement affects women’s decision to work in the informal or formal sector in Vietnam. We use a difference-in-differences approach to evaluate the 2012 Amendments to the Vietnam Labor Law, which imposes a longer maternity leave requirement than before. We find that the law increases formal employment and decreases unpaid work among women. This is driven by women switching from agricultural household work to employment in the private formal sector, especially in the manufacturing industry and among the middle-skilled occupations such as plant and machine workers, craft and related workers, as well as clerks.