Policy Brief

Childbirth is a life event that often disrupts household earnings just as family expenses increase. In the United States, families do not have access to a national paid parental leave program and must rely on a patchwork of safety net programs that were not designed specifically to support households during pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period.

This brief describes how safety net programs respond to the earnings disruptions surrounding childbirth and where they fall short.

The authors find that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and tax credits can collectively offset post-birth earnings losses if families receive every program they qualify for, but deliver almost nothing during pregnancy or right after birth, when resources are at their lowest.