Policy reform and fathers’ use of parental leave in Germany: The role of education and workplace characteristics

Geisler, Esther; Kreyenfeld, Michaela

doi:10.1177/0958928718765638

Cited by 55 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The second crosscutting theme in the articles in the special issue was the difference in support for fathers' leavetaking between private and public workplaces. Other European researchers have also noted that the public sector tends to be a more supportive environment for fathers' leavetaking than private companies (Geisler & Kreyenfeld, 2018). Private sector companies might be slower than public authorities in supporting fathers' leavetaking because they are profit-driven and have cost concerns.…”

Section: Private Vs Public Workplacesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workplace support and European fathers’ use of state policies promoting shared childcare

Haas

Hwang

2018

Community, Work & Family

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Social policies such as paternity leave and parental leave offer fathers the opportunity to be more involved in childcare than earlier generations of fathers. While such policies are increasingly offered by governments around the world, research by the International Network on Leave Policies and Research shows that many European fathers do not take advantage of these benefits, despite fathers' growing interest in participation in early childcare. This article introduces a special issue devoted to understanding how the workplace can impact European fathers' interest in and abilities to take leave, a topic that has received relatively little research attention. The articles in the special issue suggest that barriers to European fathers' leavetaking are deeply embedded in workplace culture and work practices and will be difficult to eradicate without a dramatic challenge to the concept of the male ideal worker, who prioritizes work above family. RÉSUMÉ Les politiques sociales comme le congé de paternité et le congé parental offrent aux pères l'opportunité de s'involver dans les soins aux enfants plus que les pères des générations précédentes l'ont fait. Tandis que telles politiques sont offertes de plus en plus par les gouvernements autour du monde, les recherches du Réseau international sur les Politiques de Congé montrent que beacoup de pères ne prennent pas davantage de ces bénéfices. Cet article introduit un numéro thématique sur la compréhension de l'impact du lieu de travail sur l'intérêt des pères européens au congé et sur leur capacité d'en profiter, un sujet auquel les recherches ont accordé peu d'attention. Les articles dans ce numéro thématique suggèrent que les barrières à l'utilisation des congés par les pères sont profondément intégrées dans la culture du lieu de travail et les habitudes de travail, et seront difficiles à éliminer sans un défi dramatique contre la conception de l'homme travailleur idéal, qui donne priorité au travail plutôt qu'à la famille.

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Section: Private Vs Public Workplacesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workplace support and European fathers’ use of state policies promoting shared childcare

Haas

Hwang

2018

Community, Work & Family

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“…As this paper corroborates the importance of (partners') income and workplace characteristics in parental leave decisions, it provides insight into possible avenues for future policy design in Belgium and other countries with low levels of (fathers') parental leave uptake. Research of Geisler and Kreyenfeld (2018) and Patnaik (2018) on policy reforms with respect to parental leave, i.e., increasing the replacement benefits and introducing (longer) 'daddy quotas' in Germany and Quebec, for example, shows a significant increase in fathers' leave use after these reforms. Also research on the UK underlines the need for a statutory individual entitlement to well-paid leave in view of obtaining higher male parental leave uptake (Fox et al 2009;Koslowski and Kadar-Satat 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fathers’ Parental Leave Uptake in Belgium and Sweden: Self-Evident or Subject to Employment Characteristics?

et al. 2019

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The limited increase in fathers’ involvement in childcare tasks in response to the unprecedented rise in female labour market participation illustrates the incomplete nature of the gender revolution. Available research provides evidence for micro-economic mechanisms and the influence of gender norms and social policy design on couples’ gendered divisions of parental leave, but knowledge on how national level contexts shape partners’ agency remains limited. Hence, comparative research from different national contexts is needed. This paper examines the association between fathers’ pre-birth income and workplace characteristics, and whether they take up parental leave after the birth of their first child in Belgium and Sweden by using detailed longitudinal register data from Sweden and Belgium. Results show that, whereas an opportunity cost logic seems to underlie fathers’ parental leave decisions in Belgium, gender equality in contributing to the household income yields the highest probability of fathers’ parental leave uptake in Sweden. Furthermore, in Sweden, fathers’ employment characteristics are more strongly associated with whether fathers’ take leave longer than the quota than whether fathers take any leave at all. The different mechanisms in Belgium and Sweden suggest that the design of leave policies and the broader normative and institutional national level context moderate couples’ parental leave uptake decisions.

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“…It should be noted that the indicator used to measure policy on "parental welfare and protection" is the concentrated embodiment of gender equality and work-family balance, which are two different but inseparable concepts [43]. To help women achieve gender equality in employment, corresponding measures need to be taken to ensure their work-family balance, such as changing the image of women as traditional caregivers, and increasing opportunities for male spouses to participate in family care [15,63]. Although these "safeguard measures" are not directly related to family support, they can only be realized through government guidance, overall planning, management, and close cooperation, which are vital for supporting the effective implementation of family policy.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This will help fill the gaps in relevant national policies and improve women's work-life balance. In addition, parental leave will encourage fathers to take responsibility for family care [63].…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Content Analysis of Family Policy Instruments to Promote the Sustainable Development of Families in China from 1989–2019

Huang

2020

Sustainability

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Family policy involves a combination of policies enacted to address various family problems and improve the sustainable development of families. Evaluating family policy by considering policy instruments is conducive to optimizing policy allocation and promoting this sustainable development. This study constructs a two-dimensional analysis framework of policy instruments and policy themes and employs content analysis to conduct a quantitative analysis of 112 family policy texts issued by the Chinese government. The results show that the policy instruments used in China are not effective. The study also shows that environmental policy instruments are most frequently used, but the internal structure is unbalanced; supply-side policy instruments are moderately used; and the use of demand-side policy instruments is obviously limited. Policy themes focus excessively on “safeguard measures” and pay less attention to “parental welfare and protection”. Overall, China’s family policy is still in its infancy, as it focuses mainly on assistance and remains incomplete. Therefore, the parties responsible for the formulation of family policy should adjust and optimize the combinations of policy instruments that are employed are required to consider “general welfare”, and promote the two-dimensional integration of policy instruments and policy themes.

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Policy reform and fathers’ use of parental leave in Germany: The role of education and workplace characteristics

Cited by 55 publications

References 42 publications

Workplace support and European fathers’ use of state policies promoting shared childcare

Workplace support and European fathers’ use of state policies promoting shared childcare

Fathers’ Parental Leave Uptake in Belgium and Sweden: Self-Evident or Subject to Employment Characteristics?

Content Analysis of Family Policy Instruments to Promote the Sustainable Development of Families in China from 1989–2019

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