Employment Leave and Fathers’ Involvement with Children

Abstract

Employment leave patterns, factors affecting these patterns, and the impact on involvement with children were assessed for fathers in thirty-eight couples. Parents completed self-administered questionnaires on work schedule changes after the arrival of a baby, reactions to these changes, child care activities, and attitudes. An average of the mother's and the father's assessments for the twenty-one items and index were used to measure fathers’ involvement. Almost half of the fathers took some leave, but few utilized parental leave benefits. White non-Hispanic fathers who shared equalitarian beliefs with mothers were the most likely to take leave. Fathers who took leave were more likely to share some child care tasks with mothers than were fathers who did not take leave, but no differences were found for time spent or taking responsibility for child care. Holding equalitarian beliefs, the amount and source of income, education, and hours worked were predictive of greater involvement.

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

“…All the respondents acknowledged that they perceived that they had bonded more closely with their children by spending time with them, a which was consistent with the fi ndings of earlier surveys (Haas and Hwang 2008 ;Seward et al 2006 ). Some fathers even pointed out that being on leave alone helped them create a bond which in men, contrary to women, does not come naturally.…”

“…Like their counterparts in other countries, Spanish men might be expected to stress that one of the effects of caring for their children alone is closer bonding to their children (Haas and Hwang 2008 ;Seward et al 2006 ).…”

Effects of Parental Leave and Work Hours on Fathers’ Involvement With Their Babies

“…An early study of 142 fathers from southeastern Massachusetts in the US found that those who took more days of leave were subsequently more involved with their children's care (Pleck, 1993). More recently, a study of 38 fathers in the UK found that those who took leave were more involved in some specific activities with their children, but did not spend more time overall with them (Seward, Yeatts, Amin & DeWitt, 2006;Seward, Yeatts, Zottarelli & Fletcher, 2006).…”

Beliefs about the Gender Division of Parental Leave and Characteristics Associated with Them

“…On the other hand, policies supporting fathers' leave have been empirically confirmed to facilitate the relationship between the father and child. Research from different countries, including Sweden, the USA and the UK have found that fathers who took leave had a greater bond with their child, were more likely to spend time with children and to take sole responsibility for the children when mothers worked, and were also more involved in the care for their baby, including activities such as feeding and diaper changing (Haas & Hwang, 2008;Nepomnyaschy & Waldfogel, 2007;Pleck, 1993;Seward, Yeatts, Amin, & DeWitt, 2006;Tanaka & Waldfogel, 2007).…”