This thesis examines whether paid family leave (PFL) policies influence women’s political representation in the United States. While prior research has extensively documented the positive labor market effects of PFL, little is known about its potential political consequences. Building on theories that link female labor force participation to political empowerment, this study investigates whether PFL helps close the gender gap in political leadership. I compile a novel panel dataset covering all 50 U.S. states from 1995 to 2024, combining annual data on women’s representation in state legislatures with detailed information on PFL adoption and relevant socio-economic controls. To identify causal effects, I employ a staggered difference-in-differences design using the Callaway and Sant’Anna (2021) estimator, which accounts for treatment heterogeneity and variation in timing. The findings consistently show no statistically significant effect of PFL on the share of women in state legislatures, across specifications and robustness checks. These results suggest that while PFL supports women’s continued workforce participation, it does not automatically translate into political gains under the U.S. institutional context. The study contributes to the literature by empirically linking labor market policy to political representation and highlights the need for more comprehensive policy strategies to advance gender equality in politics.