Recently, there has been a growing discussion on various aspects of childbirth and parenting. Among married families, an increasing number of parents are choosing to take parental leave to care for their children themselves.
Professors Yu-hsuan Su from National Chengchi University and Ang-Ruei Tsai utilized data from Kids in Taiwan: National Longitudinal Study of Child Development & Care (KIT), specifically the first and second waves of the 36-month-old cohort, to examine the relationship between parental leave and child development.
The study found that children whose parents had taken parental leave exhibited better cognitive, language, and motor skill development at 36 and 48 months. However, differences in social-emotional development were only significant at 48 months.
When comparing the actual duration of parental leave, a longer maternal leave was associated with better cognitive development but showed no significant correlation with the other three developmental aspects. Meanwhile, the length of paternal leave did not have a noticeable impact on any aspect of child development.
The study also considered factors such as the child’s gender, birth order, and parental socioeconomic status, revealing the following key findings:
✔ Children of Taiwanese mothers showed significantly better development across all domains, particularly language skills. In contrast, children of immigrant mothers exhibited relatively lower language development, highlighting an area that warrants greater policy attention.
✔ Female children and firstborns demonstrated better cognitive and language development.
✔ Household income at 36 months influenced all four aspects of child development. However, by 48 months, its impact persisted only in cognitive and language development.
Original links：PARENTAL LEAVE AND PRESCHOOLERS' DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES
