This study seeks to determine the impact on female labor outcomes of the
amendment to the Colombian labor law that extended maternity leave from 12 to 14
weeks (Law 1468 of July 2011). To identify this impact, labor market outcomes of
two groups of women with different fertility rates are compared. The study finds
evidence that as a result of the extension of the maternity leave period, women in the
high-fertility age group experience an increase in inactivity rates, informality, and
self-employment. The study points to the need for a redesign of maternity protection
policy that would enable the economic and social costs of bearing children to be
shared by both parents and that may generate social change regarding the importance
of paternal care.