Research linking maternity leave to children’s early development or longer-term outcomes is limited and mixed, in part because many studies of maternity leave policies use data from other developed countries that start with a higher baseline level of parental leave than the United States. But some research suggests that maternity leave is correlated with improved long-term educational outcomes for their children, particularly those whose mothers would otherwise take very little maternity leave. And ability to take paid leave immediately following a child’s birth also appears to increase the work hours and incomes of mothers of children ages 1 to 3.