Paid Family Leave: An Upstream Intervention to Prevent Family Violence

Purpose: Family violence imposes tremendous costs on victims and society. Rarely are policies focused on the primary prevention of family violence. Given the prevalence of family violence—including child maltreatment and intimate partner violence (IPV)—during the perinatal period, policies targeting this vulnerable time period may be successful in primary prevention. Paid family leave (PFL) programs provide income-replacement during particularly stressful family events, such as the birth of a child. Method: In this commentary, we describe the conceptual links between PFL, child maltreatment, and IPV, suggesting that PFL may be a promising strategy for the primary prevention of child maltreatment and IPV. Results: There is emerging evidence that policies targeting the early years of life may reduce child maltreatment and IPV. Conclusion: Addressing the concrete and economic challenges faced by caregivers is one promising strategy for the prevention of family violence.