Parental leave policies and time use for mothers and fathers: a case study of Spain and Sweden

Abstract

States play an important role in gender equality through policy structuring. In this case study, the aim is to explore whether changes in parental leave policies over two decades trickle down to changes in gendered time use in two polarised countries: Sweden and Spain, represented by the Basque Country. Sweden represents dual-earner countries with high relative gender equality, whereas Spain represents a south European policy model supporting a breadwinning/homemaker ideal. The results show that changes in the gendered time use among mothers and fathers in both countries are associated with changes in parental leave policies. Changes in policies directed towards increasing gender equality reduce the gender gap in time use among mothers and fathers and seem to increase gender equality within a country. From these results, the conclusion is that parental leave policies that are structured to promote or enable gender equality could reduce the gender time gap in work among mothers and fathers.

Research to support evidence-informed decisions on optimizing gender equity in health workforce policy and planning

“…Gender neutral refers to policies and programmes that are free of (explicit or implicit) reference to sex or gender, while gender responsive refers to being aware of and including gender as a socially important consideration [9]. Cross-national differences in workforce policies have been linked to gender responsiveness (or lack thereof) in factoring differential time use and work-life balance among women and men [10].…”

Balancing Work and Life When Self-Employed: The Role of Business Characteristics, Time Demands, and Gender Contexts

“…Although results indicate that the context and level of gender equality in the labor market are insignificant to the level of interference or the relationship between well-being and WIL and LIW among the self-employed, in a gender aspect they do. From previous studies, it is evident that in more gender-equal contexts, work is more evenly divided between couples (Fuwa 2004), and women have better opportunities to take part in the labor market (Hagqvist et al 2017b;Korpi et al 2013). In separate analyses, our results show that country influences women's level of interference, but not men's.…”

“…This approach to management differs rather explicitly from an approach in which women, and especially mothers, use self-employment as a way to balance work and family (Annink et al 2016;Kirkwood 2009;Kirkwood and Tootell 2008), and it may be worthwhile studying whether such an approach is more often chosen by self-employed women in more gender-traditional contexts. Furthermore, in Scandinavia compared to more gender-traditional countries, men spend more time on housework and child care, but still not the same amount as women (Hagqvist et al 2017b). This could be a reason why LIW relates to lower well-being in more gender-equal contexts for men.…”

“…In dual-earner policy models that are typical for countries in the north of Europe, family-friendly policies are more progressive, with public-funded kindergartens and paid parental leave for either parent (Ibid.). Thus, more women take a greater part in the labor market and spend more time on paid work (Hagqvist et al 2017b). A third group refers to market-oriented contexts (the Anglo-Saxon countries), and these largely lack publicly funded child care; care is instead largely provided by the market and relatives (Korpi 2010;Thévenon 2011).…”

Using economic development to improve health and reduce health inequalities

“…76 Separate research has indicated that leave policies influence people's employment opportunities and decisions 76 and that 'family-friendly' leave policies (which seek to help workers to balance employment with family life) may be at least partially responsible for high levels of employment for women in Sweden. 77 The Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) in Burlington, Vermont, US is an example of this approach in action locally. CHT is a pioneering community land trust that manages land and housing for long-term community benefit.…”