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Parental Leave Policy and Gender Equality in Europe

Author

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  • Carmen Castro-García
  • Maria Pazos-Moran

Abstract

This article uses data from 2008--10 to analyze parental leave policies in twenty-one European countries and their influence on men's behavior. It examines entitlement characteristics, such as nontransferability, duration, payment, compulsory period, and other policies to assess their effect on the proportion of leave men use out of the total parental leave in each country. The findings, which suggest that a large majority of men take nontransferable and highly paid leave, and a small minority take other types, provide the basis for developing the Parental Leave Equality Index (PLEI). PLEI ranks countries by the degree to which parental leave policies reinforce or diminish the gendered division of labor. Results indicate that although Iceland's parental leave policies do the most to advance gender equity, no country has equal, nontransferable, and well-paid leave for each parent. This policy arrangement would be a precondition to men's and women's equal participation in childcare.

Suggested Citation

  • Carmen Castro-García & Maria Pazos-Moran, 2016. "Parental Leave Policy and Gender Equality in Europe," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 51-73, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:22:y:2016:i:3:p:51-73
    DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2015.1082033
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jonas Wood & Leen Marynissen & Dries Gasse, 2023. "When is it About the Money? Relative Wages and Fathers’ Parental Leave Decisions," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(6), pages 1-24, December.
    2. Teresa Jurado-Guerrero & Jacobo Muñoz-Comet, 2021. "Design Matters Most: Changing Social Gaps in the Use of Fathers’ Leave in Spain," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(3), pages 589-615, June.
    3. Elena Grinza & Francesco Devicienti & Mariacristina Rossi & Davide Vannoni, 2017. "How Entry into Parenthood Shapes Gender Role Attitudes: New Evidence from Longitudinal UK Data," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 511, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    4. Hipp, Lena & Schlüter, Charlotte & Molina, Stefania, 2022. "The role of employers in reducing the implementation gap in leave policies," Discussion Papers, Junior Research Group Work and Care SP I 2022-502, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    5. Begoña Elizalde-San Miguel & Vicente Díaz Gandasegui & Maria T. Sanz García, 2019. "Family Policy Index: A Tool for Policy Makers to Increase the Effectiveness of Family Policies," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 142(1), pages 387-409, February.
    6. Carolin Scheifele & Melanie C Steffens & Colette Van Laar, 2021. "Which representations of their gender group affect men’s orientation towards care? the case of parental leave-taking intentions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(12), pages 1-35, December.
    7. Canaan, Serena & Lassen, Anne Sophie & Rosenbaum, Philip & Steingrimsdottir, Herdis, 2022. "Maternity Leave and Paternity Leave: Evidence on the Economic Impact of Legislative Changes in High Income Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 15129, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Alison Koslowski, 2021. "Capturing the Gender Gap in the Scope of Parenting Related Leave Policies Across Nations," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(2), pages 250-261.
    9. Unnur D. Einarsdottir & Thora H. Christiansen & Erla S. Kristjansdottir, 2018. "“It’s a Man Who Runs the Show†: How Women Middle-Managers Experience Their Professional Position, Opportunities, and Barriers," SAGE Open, , vol. 8(1), pages 21582440177, March.
    10. Alison Koslowski & Ann-Zofie Duvander, 2018. "Basic Income: The Potential for Gendered Empowerment?," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(4), pages 8-15.
    11. Ann-Zofie Duvander & Eleonora Mussino & Jussi Tervola, 2021. "Similar Negotiations over Childcare? A Comparative Study of Fathers’ Parental Leave Use in Finland and Sweden," Societies, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-17, June.
    12. Duffy, Sarah & van Esch, Patrick & Yousef, Murooj, 2020. "Increasing parental leave uptake: A systems social marketing approach," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 110-118.
    13. Anne Bustreel & Martine Pernod-Lemattre, 2021. "The working-time regime of the “ideal worker” in high-skilled occupations [Le régime temporel du « travailleur idéal » dans les professions hautement qualifiées]," Post-Print hal-03474261, HAL.

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