Absolutely. With the example of parental leave, that is 35 weeks long, and that has been shown to be very effective in maintaining labour force attachment, for mothers particularly. Families can take the time to focus on their family, what's important there and what needs to be done, and have some support in doing that. It reduces the stress on the family as well, particularly if you're talking about a sick child. That's a very stressful situation, and anything that can reduce the stress and better help the families cope with that situation is going to improve their whole lives, including their return to work. Returning to work is then less stressful because they've been able to take the time to properly deal with the situation.
On October 30th, 2012. See this statement in context.