Which representations of their gender group affect men’s orientation towards care? the case of parental leave-taking intentions

Abstract

Men are currently underrepresented in traditionally female care-oriented (communal) engagement such as taking parental leave, whereas they are overrepresented in traditionally male (agentic) engagement such as breadwinning or leadership. We examined to what extent different prototypical representations of men affect men’s self-reported parental leave-taking intentions and more generally the future they can imagine for themselves with regard to work and care roles (i.e., their possible selves). We expected prototypes of men that combine the two basic stereotype dimensions of agency and communion to increase men’s communal intentions. In two experiments (N1 = 132, N2 = 233), we presented male participants with contrived newspaper articles that described the ideal man of today with varying degrees of agency and communion (between-subjects design with four conditions; combined agentic and communal vs. agentic vs. communal vs. control condition). Results of Experiment 1 were in line with the main hypothesis that especially presenting a combination of agency and communion increases men’s expectations for communal engagement: As compared to a control condition, men expected more to engage in caretaking in the future, reported higher parental leave-taking intentions, and tended to expect taking longer parental leave. Experiment 2 only partially replicated these findings, namely for parental leave-taking intentions. Both experiments additionally provided initial evidence for a contrast effect in that an exclusive focus on agency also increased men’s self-reported parental leave-taking intentions compared to the control condition. Yet, exclusively emphasizing communion in prototypes of men did not affect men’s communal intentions, which were high to begin with. We further did not find evidence for preregistered mechanisms. We discuss conditions and explanations for the emergence of these mixed effects as well as implications for the communication of gendered norms and barriers to men’s communal engagement more broadly.

Predictors of expectant fathers’ parental leave-taking intentions before birth: masculinity, fatherhood beliefs, and social support

“…Most importantly, we report on cross-sectional correlational data and are therefore not able to draw causal conclusions about precursors of men’s intended leave-taking. Although experimental designs allow for such conclusions, they can be ethically questionable and difficult to implement for life decisions such as parenthood and parental leave-taking (for experimental evidence for hypothetical leave-taking, see Rudman and Mescher, 2013 ; Scheifele et al, 2021 ). The current study adds to existing research by examining intentions of men who are actually becoming parents and are facing parental leave-taking decisions.…”

Did Descriptive and Prescriptive Norms About Gender Equality at Home Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-National Investigation

“…Based on theories on the formation and change of social norms and SRT, it can be argued that a shift in the observed behavior of people around us can change social norms (Cialdini & Trost, 1998;Diekman & Eagly, 2000). In the context of gender, it has repeatedly been shown that beliefs about norms are dynamic and open to development (Koch et al, 2005;Scheifele et al, 2021;Sczesny et al, 2007;Twenge, 2001). For instance, threatening environmental factors and major social change can influence gender norms (Zafra & Garcia-Retamero, 2011).…”

An examination of ‘instrumental resources’ in earmarked parental leave: The case of the work–life balance directive

“…One factor regards norms about gender roles regarding care responsibilities (Javornik and Kurowska, 2017; Tavits et al, 2023). Although there are new norms about active fatherhood, and shared care responsibilities between parents, these ‘new ideals for manhood and fatherhood have not fully replaced traditional norms and stereotypes’ (Scheifele et al, 2021: 2). In a recent study, Valarino and Gauthier (2016) examined the influence of compensated paid leave for fathers in Switzerland.…”