Randy A new study reveals that fathers use their paternity leave differently from mothers. Additionally, other measures for work-life balance, such as unpaid leaves and reduced work hours, still primarily fall on women.
Paternity Leave
The extension of paternity leave was introduced to reduce gender inequalities in the labor market and at home.
Photo credit: Portra (Getty Images)
By Diana Oliver
Madrid – NOV 03, 2024 – 00:25 EDT
A study titled Fathers’ Time-Use while on Paternity Leave: Childcare or Leisure?, published in the October 2024 edition of The Working Papers Series by the Barcelona School of Economics (BSE), shows that fathers in Spain, Sweden, Germany, Italy, France, and Denmark use paternity leave differently than mothers. Social Security data also indicates that while women typically take continuous leave after childbirth, men tend to divide their leave into several periods during the first year, often part-time, with a notable increase during the summer. Economists participating in the study point out that a significant number of men took paternity leave during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, suggesting it might have been used for leisure. “This behavior is not observed among women or self-employed men,” they add.
Libertad González, a professor of Economics at Pompeu Fabra University and Ph.D. graduate from Northwestern University (USA), who co-authored the study, explains that fathers across all Spanish regions typically take between 15 and 16 weeks of leave. Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha report the lowest average duration at exactly 15 weeks, while Navarra and Catalonia reach 15.5 weeks. Although variations by industry are minimal, there are regional differences in how fathers split their leave: 35% in the Canary Islands, 41% in Andalusia, and 66% in Aragón and the Basque Country.
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Despite these numbers, González notes that while paternity leave utilization is high and impacts fathers’ presence at home during the weeks and months following childbirth, pre-existing patterns persist beyond the baby’s first year. Mothers remain the predominant users of unpaid leaves and reduced work schedules. “Paternity leave is a relatively recent measure. Historically, we’ve had significant inequality in childcare responsibilities, and this still lingers,” González explains.
Has Equal Parental Leave Improved the Distribution of Care?
González acknowledges evidence that fathers have slightly increased their responsibilities in childcare and housework. However, she points out that the extension of paternity leave has not encouraged men to adopt other reconciliation measures, such as reduced hours or unpaid leaves. “We do not see this measure translating into a reduction in the gender gap in the labor market,” she says.
The Challenge of Co-Responsibility
The expansion of paternity leave has been implemented in many countries to reduce gender inequalities at work and home. However, various studies suggest little to no impact on men’s and women’s labor market outcomes after having children.
Research published in May 2024 in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy titled Do Family Policies Reduce Gender Inequality? Evidence from 60 Years of Policy Experimentation analyzed whether family policies, including extended paternal leave, reduce gender inequality in the labor market. Drawing on over 60 years of Austrian data on men’s and women’s income trends, the study concluded that such policies have not closed the gender wage gap or significantly reduced inequality.
In Spain, measures to promote work-life balance are scarce beyond equalizing maternity and paternity leave. These measures aim to balance household responsibilities, foster men’s involvement, and reduce workplace discrimination against women. However, PETRA Maternidades Feministas, an association advocating for dignified motherhood and childhood rights, argues that the current leave system has not increased co-responsibility or labor equality but continues to precariously impact mothers. González’s study supports this, concluding that paternity leave alone does not equitably distribute childcare responsibilities. Additional policies are necessary to challenge traditional gender norms.
Experts stress the need to encourage fathers to use reduced work hours and unpaid leaves.
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Social and Legal Changes Needed
María Espinosa, a lawyer at Mamá Jurista, a labor reconciliation consultancy, emphasizes the need for profound societal change to achieve genuine co-responsibility. “Longer paternity leaves enable shared parenting in many households, but they’re not enough,” she states. Espinosa calls for laws recognizing adequate care leave, which she views as a prerequisite for societal shifts. “Families must equitably divide tasks, governments must prioritize reconciliation with robust public services for parenting, and companies need a modern culture of flexible work hours,” she argues.
Anthropologist Dr. Julia Cañero highlights another issue: childcare policies rarely involve families in their design. “Everything for mothers, but without mothers,” she laments. Current reconciliation measures also overlook babies’ needs, focusing instead on labor market interests like early outsourcing of care, which, according to Cañero, neglects the human aspect.
González suggests distinguishing between policies aimed at household childcare decisions and those targeting the labor market. For the former, she advocates for measures extending beyond a child’s first year, such as encouraging fathers to take reduced hours or unpaid leaves. “This won’t happen without changes in the labor market, where one parent often works full-time while the other opts for a shorter schedule to care for children,” she notes. Irene Lapuerta Méndez, a researcher and sociology professor at the University of Navarra, supports universal childcare benefits like those in other European countries and calls for a 32-hour workweek to enhance life quality and balance work and caregiving.
While the EU directive on work-life balance mandates longer paid parental leave, Spain has yet to incorporate more paid weeks into its laws. Carmen Torres, another lawyer at Mamá Jurista, stresses that maternity leave should also be extended to meet babies’ needs. “The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, but our labor laws fall far short of supporting this healthcare advice,” she says. Torres concludes that the greatest unmet reconciliation needs are among self-employed mothers, single-parent families, and vulnerable or migrant communities.
