scholarly journals Consequences of Father’s Parental Leave Use: Evidence from Sweden

2009 ◽  
pp. 49-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Zofie Duvander ◽  
Ann-Christin Jans
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
At Home

Fathers parental leave use is often assumed to affect gender equality both at home and in the labour market. In the home, fathers parental leave is expected to improve father-child contact later on in the childs life. In this study the associations between fathers parental leave use and further adaption to family life and contact with children are investigated. The first research question is whether fathers who have used parental leave are more likely to have shorter working hours during their childrens first years compared to fathers who have not used the leave. The second question is whether the contact between separated fathers and their children is associated with the fathers previous parental leave use. We use a survey carried out in 2003 with a sample of approximately 4000 parents of children born in 1993 and 1999. The findings indicate that fathers parental leave is associated with both shorter working hours later in the childs life and more contact between separated fathers and their children.

scholarly journals How Different Parental Leave Schemes Create Different Take-Up Patterns: Denmark in Nordic Comparison

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tine Rostgaard ◽  
Anders Ejrnæs
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Exceptional Case ◽  
Nordic Countries ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
European Values

The prevailing gender ideologies in the Nordic countries generally support the equal division of work and family life between men and women, including the equal sharing of parental leave. Regardless, as the exceptional case in the Nordic region, Denmark currently has no father’s quota, and this despite the strong impact such policy has effectively proven to have on gender equality in take-up of parental leave. While a quota intended for the father is instead implemented in Denmark via collective agreements, this is mainly available for fathers in more secure labour market positions. This situates Danish fathers, mothers and their children very unequally regarding parental leave entitlements, and the existing inequalities continue across gender, social class and labour market positions. This article explores to what extent institutional variables vis-à-vis cultural explanations such as gender attitudes provide an understanding of why Danish fathers take less parental leave than other Nordic fathers. We use data from the European Values Study (1990‒2017) as well as administrative data for fathers’ parental leave take-up in the same period, relative to the other Nordics and for specific education backgrounds. We conclude that Danish men and women are even more supportive of gender equality in terms of work‒family life sharing compared to other Nordic countries. This indicates that institutional conditions such as parental leave entitlement matter for leave take-up, but in the Danish case attitudes do less so. Not having a father’s quota seems to affect fathers disproportionally across the education divide, and the lower parental leave take-up among Danish men with little education is primarily ascribed to their labour market insecurity. The policy implication is clear: If we want mothers and fathers with different social backgrounds to share parental leave more equally, the policy must change—not attitudes.

Labour supply of Italian mothers. A comparison with other EU countries: facts, data and public policies

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Del Boca ◽  
Silvia Pasqua
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
European Community ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Labour Supply ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Italian Survey ◽  
Part Time ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Southern European Countries

Recent social and labour market policies in Italy have altered childcare costs and availability, increased opportunities for part-time jobs and flexibility in working hours and extended parental leave. This analysis focuses on the impact of these changes on the labour supply of mothers in Italy in comparison with other countries. Data from Eurostat and the OECD, and empirical results from the Italian Survey on Household Income and Wealth (SHIW) and from the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) are presented. The data show how the situation of Italian mothers is not dissimilar from that of mothers in other southern European countries, in particular Spain and Greece.

Japan: leave policy and attempts to increase fathers’ take-up

2019 ◽  
pp. 91-110
Author(s):  
Hideki Nakazato
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Public Interests ◽  
Conservative Government ◽  
Leave Policy ◽  
Childcare Policy

This chapter is about the development of Parental Leave in Japan, and in particular efforts to increase take-up by fathers. Before the first legislation was agreed in 1991 under the LDP conservative government, there were repeated efforts to introduce legislation, in which the trade unions played an important role and with advocates referring to research on European countries and recommendations by international organisations. Most of the subsequent developments to Parental Leave were based on recommendations by official bodies consisting of representatives of employers, workers and public interests, then agreed by government and designed by civil servants. Today, fathers in Japan can take 12 months of paid leave, with six months paid at 67% of earnings, yet the take-up rate remains low, slightly over 3% of eligible fathers. The chapter argues that developments in leave policy have not been part of a broad and coordinated set of measures, combining Parental Leave policy with childcare policy, working hours legislation and changes to workplace culture. This has prevented the achievement of two stated goals, eliminating barriers for mothers to stay in the labour force and increasing fathers’ involvement in childcare and family life.

Top managers and the gendered interplay of organizations and family life: the case of Iceland

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 602-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ólöf Júlíusdóttir ◽  
Guðbjörg Linda Rafnsdóttir ◽  
Þorgerður Einarsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Family Relations ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Organizational Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Business Leadership ◽  
Content Type

PurposeIceland, along with the other Nordic countries, is seen as an international frontrunner in gender equality and equal sharing of responsibility for paid and unpaid work is part of the official ideology. Nevertheless, the number of women in leadership positions remains low. The purpose of this study is to analyse the practices that (re)produce power imbalances between women and men in business leadership both at the macro and the micro levels. This is done by using two theoretical explanations: gendered organizational practices and the interplay of organizations and family life.Design/methodology/approachThe mixed methods are applied by analysing 51, semi-structured interviews with female and male business leaders and survey data from CEOs and executives from the 250 largest companies in Iceland.FindingsThe analyses reveal gender differences and asymmetries in work life as well as within the family. Men have longer working hours than women, higher salaries and more job-related travelling. Women carry the dual burden of work and family to a higher degree than do men. By questioning and attempting to resist the organizational culture women risk further disadvantage. The situation of male and female leaders is therefore incomparable. This is a paradox and does not fit with the idea of the Nordic gender equality of a dual breadwinner society.Originality/valueIt is shown that lack of gender diversity in business leadership is based on gendered organizational practices as well as on power relations within families. These two aspects are mutually reinforcing and the originality of the study is to explore the interplay between them. The authors conclude that despite being the country at the forefront of gender equality in the world, neither organizational practices nor family relations recognize the different life experiences of women and men in Iceland. This is expressed in organizational practices and different access to time and support, which may hinder gaining gender equality in top leadership.

Gender equality legislation and foreign direct investment

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Cheng Lai ◽  
Santanu Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Employment Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Workers ◽  
Working Hour ◽  
Male Workers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences in the effects of gender equality legislation on employment outcomes among female and male workers in industries with different intensity of foreign investment (namely, foreign direct investment (FDI)-intensive industries and non–FDI–intensive industries). The specific employment outcomes that were studied to compare the effects of the legislation are the working hours, employment opportunities, and wages of female and male workers in Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the annual Manpower Utilization Survey, the authors applied a differences-in-differences-in-differences estimation method to test the effect of gender equality legislation on employment outcomes. By using multinomial logit, the authors measured the effect of the legislation on employment opportunities. To correct for simultaneity and selectivity problems/biases, the authors adopted Heckman two-stage selection procedures. Likewise, the authors used weighted least squares to solve heteroskedasticity in the wage and working hour equations. Further, the instrumental variable (IV) method was used to correct for simultaneity bias in the equation on working hour. The authors applied three stages estimation method following Killingsworth’s (1983) approach to measure the effect of the legislation on wages and working hours. Findings The authors found the restrictions enforced by the gender equality legislation (namely the Gender Equal Employment Act (GEEA), enacted in 2002) in Taiwan to have made certain impact on the workers’ working conditions in FDI-intensive industries. The major finding indicated that in a country like Taiwan, where the legislature tried tilling the perpetual gender gap in its labour market, by passing a law to counter inequality, could finally narrow the gender gap in wages among workers in the FDI-intensive industries. Although initially after the enactment of the GEEA (between 2002 and 2004), the gender gap in part-timers’ wages has widened, yet over a period of time the gap in their wages too has narrowed down, particularly during 2005-2006. The legislation, however, could not improve the job opportunities for full-time female workers’ in FDI-intensive industries. Besides, post 2002, the female workers were found to have worked for shorter hours than male workers, which according to us, could be largely attributed to the enforcement of the GEEA. Practical implications An in-depth analysis of the labour market effects of gender equality legislation should be useful to policymakers, especially those interested in understanding the impact of legislative measures and policy reforms on labour market and employment outcomes across industry types. If enforcement of a gender equality legislation has succeeded in reducing the gender gap more in one set of industries than the others (e.g. foreign owned instead of domestic industries), as the authors noticed in this study, then the same should have a bearing on revamping of future enactment and enforcement too. Originality/value Current study findings would not only provide the broad lessons to the policymakers in Taiwan, but the results that have emerged from a country case study could be referred by other growing economies who are enthusiastic about improving female workers’ working conditions through legislative reforms.

From work sharing to temporal flexibility : working time policy in Belgium 1975-1990

Res Publica ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-51
Author(s):  
Jens Bastian
Keyword(s):  
Economic System ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Market Effects ◽  
Work Sharing ◽  
Temporal Flexibility

The article focuses on working time policies introduced in Belgium during the period 1975-1990. As a country with early mass-unemployment, the magnitude of the unfolding Labour market problems fostered a specific set of responsive strategies. The initial trajectory of Belgian working time policies was centered around cutting standard weekly working hours in order to enhance Labour market effects. In the course of a marked issue transformation, work sharing objectives were substituted by the notion of temporal flexibility which focused primarily on concerns for and changes in the economie performance of individual firms. The author outlines various structural features of the Belgian socio-economic system and argues that these profoundly affected the goals identified with working time policies as much as the actor constellations endorsing the respective measures.

Attitude of Individuals First Entering Labour Market to the Implementation of Equality of Treatment Principle in Labour Relations

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-4
Author(s):  
Eglė Štareikė ◽  
Ugnė Alaburdaitė
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Public Security ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Treatment Principle ◽  
Scientific Doctrine

By invoking scientific doctrine, legal regulations and official statistics, the paper aims at assessing the actual position of females and males in labour relations in Lithuania as well as identifying the problems of the legal regulation of gender equality. The survey conducted among MRU Public Security Academy students was dedicated to disclosing the perceptions of individuals first entering the labour market about (in)equality in labour relations and experiences in the course of professional practice. To attain these objectives, certain goals were set: analysis of multiple layers of the concept of equality, legal regulation of the principle of gender equality and its inclusion in labour relations and statutory service. Furthermore, the present paper considered various trends and patterns in the implementation of the gender equality principle in labour relations, based on the analysis of the data of the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson. Empirical research was carried out to assess the experience of students who had their professional practice in police headquarters in terms of gender inequality. Based on the performed survey that involved the students of MRU Public Security Academy, it should be concluded that the majority of students did not understand the different behaviours that could violate an individual’s rights in terms of the equality of men and women. When responding to certain questions, the majority of respondents indicated that gender inequality in Lithuania existed only to the extent it occurred naturally; however, when responding to other questions, the majority stated that there were numerous situations during their practice when they experienced discrimination (i.e. preferential treatment of one of the genders, abuse due to gender etc.). This can lead to the conclusion that violations of gender equality committed on certain grounds are perceived as a natural phenomenon resulting from natural differences between the sexes and because of this, certain flawed behaviour is justified. This results in fewer opportunities for individuals to report violations to responsible institutions and thus ensure the protection of their rights as well as to share their experiences with other individuals and, as a result, educate them.

Understanding Unfulfilled AP Potential Across the Participation Pipeline by Race and Income

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
Awilda Rodriguez ◽  
Esmeralda Hernandez-Hamed
Keyword(s):  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
School Level ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Teacher Recommendations

Background/Context Each year, large shares of students who could do well in Advanced Placement courses and exams—known as AP potential students—do not participate, particularly students of color and low-income students. There are a number of prevailing reasons, both structural (schools do not offer the courses, or teachers do not accurately identify students) and as well as student- centered (lack of motivation, conflicts with other activities, or lack of self-efficacy). Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study seeks to empirically test these common reasons for foregoing AP participation with the following research questions: How are student and school characteristics related to the probabilities of students attending a high school that offers a corresponding course, enrolling in the course, and taking the exam? To what extent are explanations such as students’ constraints on time, lack of motivation, or lack of self-efficacy related to the probability of AP course- and exam-taking, net of student- and school-level measures? How well do AP potential estimates align with teacher recommendations into advanced coursework? We focused on differences across race and class throughout. Research Design We define AP potential as a 60% percent probability or better of receiving at least a 3 on an AP exam in either math or English. Using a nationally representative sample of sophomores in 2002 whom we identified as having AP potential, we answered the first research question with a sequential logit. We then used postestimation commands in Stata to examine motivation, hours working, hours in extracurricular activities, and measures of English and math self-efficacy to address the second research question. For the third research question, we modeled the probability of student misidentification—or the probability that the teacher of a student with AP potential will not identify them for honors or AP courses—using a logit. Conclusions/Recommendations We found that large shares of students did not fulfill their AP potential, which varied by student background and subject area. We did not find support for many of the student-centered reasons for forgoing AP, such as lack of motivation and constraints on time due to work or extra-curricular activities. We did find, however, that teacher identification and academic self-efficacy mattered to AP course- and exam-taking, especially for marginalized students, suggesting viable policy and practice levers to improve equitable AP participation. We discuss implications for policy, practice, and research.

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