with national data from oecd countries between and thevenon analyses how aggregate levels of female labour force participation respond to policies that support the worklife balance the analysis takes in variables on paid leave public spending and duration child care serv ices for children under the age of public spending and enrolment rates public expenditure on other family benefits and financial incentives to work such as tax incentives that encourage both partners in couple families to go out to work the results reveal in particular that expansions in child care service provisions significantly boost women s labour market participation and exert a greater positive influence on female employment than variations in the weeks of paid leave child care provision for the under s doubled on average betw eenthe mid s and the late s producing an estimated percentage point increase in the employment rates of to yearold women a quarter of the total increase between and