Decision‐Making Factors within Paternity and Parental Leaves: Why Spanish Fathers Take Time Off from Work

Abstract

This article aims to understand how Spanish fathers construct and justify their decisions to use both paternity and parental leaves. Specifically, we analyse the fathers' discourse about paid work conditions, the couple's decision‐making process, formal and informal care resources, and care and gender equality. We divided responders according to the type of leave that they took and the length of time away from work; as a result, participants in this study were placed into three groups: (1) fathers who take 15 days off from work after childbirth, which are usually those who took only paternity leaves; (2) fathers who take off more than 1 month, which are usually fathers who also took parental leave; and (3) fathers who take off less than 5 days from work, which are fathers who do not take any official leave. We analyse 30 in‐depth interviews with Spanish fathers by applying a critical discourse methodology. The findings indicate that paternity leave is mostly considered a right, but not a duty, and the decision whether or not to use it is viewed as an individual choice. Fathers who take longer leaves judge time off from work not only as an individual right, but also as a duty to their families. These fathers show a low work‐connection discourse, an explicit rejection of other care resources, and a care‐sensitive attitude.

Parental Leave in Spain: Use, Motivations and Implications

“…No statistically significant differences were observed among women in this respect. These findings were consistent with earlier qualitative studies according to which the discourse characteristic of men using parental leave was more family-and childcare-than career-oriented (Romero- Balsas et al, 2013, Muntanyola-Saura, RogeroGarcía, 2013Brandth and Kvande, 2002).…”

“…Particular research has addressed paternity leave (Romero-Balsas, 2012;Flaquer and Escobedo, 2014;Escot et al, 2014, Fernández-Cornejo andPoza, 2014;Meil, 2017), unpaid full-time parental leave (Lapuerta, Baizán and González, 2011;Romero-Balsas et al, 2013, Muntanyola-Saura andRogero-García, 2013), part-time parental leave (Lapuerta et al, 2011) and men's use of maternal leave (Escot et al, 2012, Fernández-Cornejo, Lafuente andPoza, 2012;Meil et al, 2017b, Romero-Balsas andRogero-García, 2017b). In this article, in keeping with the international literature on the subject, leave of absence (excedencia por cuidado de hijos) and part-time parental leave or reduced hours (reducción de jornada por cuidado de hijos) are referred to as parental leave.…”

¿Una paternidad no tan nueva? Los discursos de jóvenes y padres sobre la implicación paterna: una comparación

“…Sin embargo, algunos trabajos señalan también la diversidad de prác-ticas y representaciones existente entre grupos sociales sobre aquello que es y debe ser la implicación paterna. Asimismo, se identifican resistencias, socio-institucionales e ideológicas, al desarrollo de lo que la literatura llama una paternidad (co)responsable (Barbeta-Viñas y Cano, 2017;González y Jurado, 2015;Romero-Balsas, et al, 2013).…”

Fathers on Leave Alone in Spain: ‘Hey, I Want to Be Able to Do It Like That, Too’

“…Remuneration (whether and to what extent leave is paid) is a determinant in this respect. That most fathers take paternity leave (Flaquer and Escobedo 2014 ;Romero-Balsas et al 2013 ), during which they are paid 100 % of their salaries, stands as confi rmation. Nonetheless, in a study on full-time parental leave based on data for 2006, Lapuerta ( 2013 ) found a higher take-up rate among women in Spanish regions where some manner of remuneration was in place (salary-related in most cases) than where none existed, but observed no signifi cant differences for men.…”