results summarised in the table suggest that the extension of paid leave entitlements irrespective of payment rates has had rather a negative effect if any on the employment rate of women aged from to years as well as on the femaletomale employment ratio the results offer no support for earlier findings that suggested a positive effect of birth leave durations on female employment rates the increase in female labour force participation since the s chapter went handinhand with the development of workfamily life balance policies of which access to affordable childcare of good quality is an important element countries differ in the emphasis they put on underlying objectives on gender equity having children chapter and promoting child wellbeing and child development chapter but concerns on labour supply often play an important role when policy measures are taken as for example recently in mexico box