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Who Benefits from Paid Sick Leave Policies? Firm Size and Women’s Employment Outcomes
Zhang, Yurong Heggeness, Misty
Zhang, Yurong
Heggeness, Misty
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Abstract
This paper studies how workers in US firms of different sizes respond to state-mandated paid sick leave using policy expansions of paid sick leave between 2010 and 2019. To date, research has documented the effect of leave policies on women’s employment outcomes, but there is limited research examining the role of firm size on employment rate and leave take up when policies are expanded. Exploiting the unique survey design of the CPS Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), which collects data on individuals for two subsequent years, we present three key findings. First, we find that paid sick leave increases employment rates for women previously employed in firms with fewer than 100 employees, while having no effect on those working in larger firms. Second, we identify no change in the take-up rate of leave between firm sizes before and after paid sick leave. Third, the identified employment enhancement effect in small firms after policy intervention is driven by women with children under age 5. Together, our results support a theory that institutional environments which resolve conflicts between intensive childcare responsibilities and workplace inflexibility lead to improved employment outcomes for women.
Description
This is the paper from a presentation given at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting held in Chicago, Illinoi on 08/09/2025.
Date
2025-08-09
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University of Kansas
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ZhangY_2025.pdf
Adobe PDF, 321.54 KB