Excerpted from the introduction

The Work-Family Policy Indicators consist of 12 country-level indicators for 22 countries across Europe and North America including Australia. We include separate indicators for former East and West Germany due to continuing socio-economic differences between the two regions, which results in 23 country-level cases. The database was originally compiled for Michelle Budig and Joya Misra’s comparative research projects “The Cross‐National Effects of Work‐Family Policies on the Wage Penalty for Motherhood” examining the relationship between family policies and the impact of motherhood on women’s employment outcomes funded by the National Science Foundation. The indicators cover three policy areas relevant to parents who take care of young children: Rights to take time off work to care for children, early childhood education and care and the regulation of working time.