ABSTRACT
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, and breastfeeding with complimentary feeding for up to 2 years. We use a gravity model of trade to analyse the relationship between formula imports and parental leave policies around the world. Countries with longer maternity leave policies have lower formula imports; however, conditional on offering paid maternity leave, higher wage replacement is associated with more infant feeding options for parents.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.