tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/paternity-leave-4692/articlesPaternity leave – The Conversation2024-02-04T13:33:40Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2220452024-02-04T13:33:40Z2024-02-04T13:33:40Z3 lessons from MP Karina Gould’s parental leave that could help all Canadian families<p>Federal cabinet minister Karina Gould, leader of the government in the House of Commons, has made Canadian history three times: as the youngest female federal cabinet minister, the first <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/karina-gould-baby-oliver-1.4569111">to give birth while holding office</a> and the first to take parental leave. Her approach to parental leave could well translate into her most enduring legacy.</p>
<p>Like all MPs, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/karina-gould-maternity-leave-cabinet-1.4528668">Gould wasn’t eligible for parental leave when her first child was born in 2018</a>. Four weeks later, she resumed work in her constituency of Burlington, Ont. After another five weeks, she returned to the House of Commons with her infant in tow. </p>
<p>Gould has just given birth to her second child. This time, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-the-second-time-around-karina-goulds-maternity-plans-are-much/">she’s doing things differently</a>. She’s taking six months off, thanks to 2019 legislation that provides MP parents of newborns up to 12 months with paid parental leave benefits.</p>
<p>On the surface, Gould’s parental leave plan resembles that of many Canadians. Yet there are key differences, and they offer three lessons on how parental leave could be redesigned for each and every Canadian parent. </p>
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<h2>Lesson 1: Boost eligibility</h2>
<p>Not all Canadians are eligible for parental leave. Almost one-third of all Canadian mothers (outside of Québec, <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/october-2020/redesign-parental-leave-system-to-enhance-gender-equality/">which has a more inclusive program</a>) <a href="https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/cpp.2020-091">do not receive paid maternity or parental benefits</a>. This is due to many factors, including restrictive <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/reports/maternity-parental.html">eligibility criteria of 600 employment hours in the year before a child’s birth</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/payroll/payroll-deductions-contributions/special-payments/elected-appointed-officials.html">MPs do not pay into Employment Insurance (EI)</a> and so were, until 2019, ineligible for parental leave benefits. Yet the government found a policy path for them. </p>
<p>It’s time to rethink eligibility criteria so that more Canadians can benefit from parental leave benefits. </p>
<h2>Lesson 2: Better wage top-ups</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/MAS/mas-e.pdf">MPs receive 92 per cent of their salaries while on leave</a>. Similar salary top-ups exist in the public sector and some private companies. For most Canadians, however, parental leave is low-paid: only 33 to 55 per cent of wages, <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-regular-benefit/benefit-amount.html">with a ceiling of $401 to $668 weekly and $63,200 annually</a>.</p>
<p>Out of 36 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada has the <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/february-2023/ei-parental-benefits/">lowest wage replacement rates</a> for parental leave. </p>
<p>This has implications for how many Canadian fathers take their parental leave entitlements. In 2020-21, <a href="https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/annual_reviews/2023/Canada2023.pdf">23.5 per cent of eligible fathers</a> took parental leave. In Québec, which has a 70-75 per cent wage replacement rate, that number was 85.6 per cent. It’s time to make leaves affordable for all parents.</p>
<h2>Lesson 3: More flexibility</h2>
<p>Finally, there are lessons about flexibility and choice, and what they mean in a post-pandemic world, where remote work has changed how people balance family life and paid work.</p>
<p>For Gould, this means taking a short post-partum leave and then combining parental leave with some remote work. As she told Canadians, she plans to <a href="https://twitter.com/karinagould/status/1744377173425717510">“take on her MP work remotely, voting and participating in caucus and cabinet meetings, though on a reduced schedule.</a>” </p>
<p>Admittedly, an MP’s job, with its unique pressures, requires a flexible parental leave system. Yet many other jobs have distinct demands.</p>
<p>The problem with Canada’s current system is that leaves must be taken as consecutive weeks in the first 12 to 18 months after a child’s birth.</p>
<p>There are other ways to do parental leave. <a href="https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/annual_reviews/2023/Sweden2023.pdf">In Sweden</a>, for example, leaves can be taken in one or several blocks of time, in days rather than weeks, on a full or part-time basis, and across several years. </p>
<p>There are risks to flexible leave, however, that are <a href="https://www.gendereconomy.org/the-future-of-work/">well-documented in research</a> on flexible work and gender inequalities. Some employers might not respect the boundaries of parents on leave. These boundaries are critical because parents need time to care for their infants, who demand and deserve that dedicated care.</p>
<p>But there are precedents to build on, such as Ontario’s “<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-ontarios-right-to-disconnect-policy-takes-effect-today-heres-what/">right to disconnect</a>” policy and EI’s <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/working-while-claim.html">Working While on Claim</a> option. </p>
<h2>Shining a spotlight</h2>
<p>Gould’s parental leave matters not only to her family. It should matter to all Canadians, because it shines a spotlight on the federal government’s long overdue promise to <a href="https://2019.liberal.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/292/2019/09/Backgrounder-More-time-and-money-to-help-families-raise-their-kids.pdf">rethink and redesign parental leave policy</a>. </p>
<p>There have been important changes, including a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/campaigns/ei-improvements/parent-sharing.html">parental sharing benefit</a> for fathers and second parents and benefits for parents of <a href="https://www.hrinfodesk.com/preview.asp?article=50100&title=New%20adoption%20Employment%20Insurance%20(EI)%20benefit">adopted children</a>. <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/february-2022/parental-leave-needs-an-overhaul/">It’s time to do more</a> for more Canadians. </p>
<p>A rethinking of parental leave should begin with clarifying what parental leave is.</p>
<p>Currently, a paid leave to care for an infant combines parental benefits, which are lodged within EI as employment benefits, and the right to take job-protected leave, which is part of provincial/territorial/federal employment standards. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/improved-employment-policies-can-encourage-fathers-to-be-more-involved-at-home-218337">Improved employment policies can encourage fathers to be more involved at home</a>
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<p>But parental leave is more than an employment policy — it’s also a care policy. Despite what the EI website states, a leave to care for an infant is not about being “<a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html">away from work.</a>” Care work is, in fact, actual work. </p>
<p>Parental leave also needs to be integrated with other care policies, especially early learning and child-care policies. Again, there are models to emulate, such as <a href="https://www.government.se/articles/2023/07/every-child-in-sweden-has-the-right-to-a-safe-secure-and-bright-future/">Sweden</a> and other <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctv2gjwv97">Nordic</a> countries. There, children have a human right and entitlement to be cared for.</p>
<p>And there is an explicit policy aim that for every child, there will be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-04-2019-0063">no gap</a> between the end of well-paid parental leave and the beginning of early learning and child care.</p>
<h2>Recognizing the value of care</h2>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic had major impacts on how <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-631-x/11-631-x2024001-eng.htm">some Canadians</a>, <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/hybrid-sittings-are-here-to-stay-as-house-passes-sweeping-rule-changes-1.6443326">including MPs</a>, can now do some of their paid work in the office or at home. The pandemic also illuminated the socioeconomic value of care and <a href="https://thecareeconomy.ca/">the care economy</a>. </p>
<p>Gould understands this. As the former minister of families, children and social development, she worked with <a href="https://childcarenow.ca/2022/03/28/media-release-child-care-advocates-celebrate-the-signing-of-thirteen-canada-wide-early-learning-and-child-care-agreements/">child-care advocates</a> and experts to shepherd the creation of Canada’s first national child-care program. </p>
<p>When she returns from her parental leave, she will be well-placed to advocate for more inclusive integrated care policies. In fact, it may be long overdue to create a federal minister of care.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222045/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrea Doucet receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Karina Gould’s parental leave is similar to that of many Canadians. Yet there are key differences, and they offer lessons on how parental leave could be redesigned to help more Canadian parents.Andrea Doucet, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Gender, Work, and Care, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2183372023-12-10T14:30:54Z2023-12-10T14:30:54ZImproved employment policies can encourage fathers to be more involved at home<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564397/original/file-20231207-15-xwseva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C14%2C4131%2C3083&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Too few Canadian fathers take parental leave. That's because parental leave is framed as an employment policy rather than as care/work policy that promotes greater sharing of both paid and unpaid care work between parents. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/improved-employment-policies-can-encourage-fathers-to-be-more-involved-at-home" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>While the COVID-19 pandemic had many detrimental <a href="https://theconversation.com/income-inequality-and-covid-19-we-are-in-the-same-storm-but-not-in-the-same-boat-173400">socio-economic</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-is-not-the-great-equalizer-race-matters-133867">health</a> impacts, one silver lining has been the influence of remote work on men’s involvement in unpaid work at home. </p>
<p>Since the first pandemic lockdowns in 2020, between 25 and 40 per cent of the Canadian labour force has shifted to <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2022008/article/00001-eng.htm">working remotely</a>. Evidence suggests <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2021010/article/00001-eng.htm">remote and hybrid work arrangements are here to stay</a>; 80 per cent of those who work remotely want to continue working at least several days per week at home. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2023.2271646">Our research</a> finds that Canadian fathers who worked remotely during the pandemic reported higher levels of involvement in household work and child care. Remote work and other flexible work policies may play a crucial role in encouraging a more equitable distribution of household and care work within families.</p>
<p>Remote work isn’t the only policy pathway that facilitates men’s involvement at home. Our research finds that fathers who have previously taken parental leave report sharing a wider set of household work and child-care tasks with their partners.</p>
<p>But there is a catch: access to these policies is limited in ways that diminish their full potential. Part of the problem stems from the way parental leave and remote work policies are structured.</p>
<p>They are framed as employment policies, rather than as care/work policies that can promote greater sharing of both paid and unpaid care work between parents. This framing limits access to both sets of policies.</p>
<h2>Parental leave in Canada</h2>
<p>While Canada is regarded as a country with generous parental leave provisions, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/03/canada-us-maternity-leave-policy-differences">especially when compared to the United States</a>, its parental leave policies can be exclusionary. </p>
<p>Outside of Québec, parental leave programs have low wage replacement rates and restrictive eligibility criteria. Paternity leave is both low-paid (five to eight weeks at a 33 to 55 per cent wage-replacement rate) and contingent on mothers (or birthing parents) also taking leave rather than being designed as an individual entitlement. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-one-province-got-80-per-cent-of-fathers-to-take-paternity-leave-118737">How one province got 80 per cent of fathers to take paternity leave</a>
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<p><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27081267">These differences</a> exclude many low-income parents from receiving <a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2020-091">parental leave benefits</a>.</p>
<p>In addition, top-up wages are highly uneven throughout Canada. Some employers don’t enhance the wage replacement rates for parental leave (70 to 75 per cent in Québec and 33 to 55 per cent in the rest of Canada). </p>
<p>Others, especially those in federally regulated industries, the public sector and large private sector companies, top-up wage replacement rates to as high as 93 per cent. In many contexts, however, top-ups are limited solely to mothers, which disincentivizes fathers from taking parental leave.</p>
<h2>Flexible work arrangements in Canada</h2>
<p>Flexible work arrangements have a less complex policy architecture than parental leave policies, but they share its drawback of uneven access. Aside from those who are self-employed, the decision-making power for remote work lies with employers.</p>
<p>As of December 2017, employees in all federally regulated sectors in Canada can <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/portfolio/labour/programs/labour-standards/flexible-work-arrangements.html#h2.3">request a flexible work arrangement under the Canada Labour Code</a> after six months of continuous employment.</p>
<p>However, managers maintain the right to refuse requests for flexible work arrangements if they believe their use will be detrimental to the quality or quantity of an employee’s work. This results in different standards being applied to different employees and means that access depends on managers’ opinions about remote work and its effect on productivity.</p>
<p>While there is no <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/business/remote-work-effects.html">clear-cut evidence</a> that working remotely hinders productivity, stereotypes of remote workers as unambitious persist <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12015">and prevent men</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-2036-7">and women</a> alike from gaining access.</p>
<h2>Who benefits from these policies?</h2>
<p>Constraints around policy access and eligibility mean parental leave and remote work are set up to benefit those who already enjoy socio-economic privileges, such as those who receive hefty wage top-ups and those in high-ranking positions who don’t need to worry about managerial biases. </p>
<p>To ensure more people benefit from parental leave and flexible work policies, our study suggests they must provide greater support for more people’s work and care lives.</p>
<p>In terms of flexible work arrangements, the right to remote work should acknowledge the diverse caregiving needs and responsibilities of all individuals, including fathers. One step in this direction would be to frame flexible work policies as a human right available to all workers, <a href="https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/Connect/Rotman-MAG/Issues/2023/Spring-2023/Spring-2023-Feature-Articles/Spring_23_Equality">regardless of parental or gender status</a>, to mitigate the stigma associated with working remotely and encourage widespread use.</p>
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<img alt="A baby in a mint-green sleeper sits in her father's lap while he reads her a book." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564384/original/file-20231207-21-zdsr71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5000%2C3323&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564384/original/file-20231207-21-zdsr71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564384/original/file-20231207-21-zdsr71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564384/original/file-20231207-21-zdsr71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564384/original/file-20231207-21-zdsr71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564384/original/file-20231207-21-zdsr71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564384/original/file-20231207-21-zdsr71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Remote work privileges should take into account the caregiving obligations of everyone, including fathers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash)</span></span>
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<p>When it comes to parental leave, the evidence is clear: from 2019 to 2020, <a href="https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/annual_reviews/2023/Canada2023.pdf">only 23.5 per cent of recent fathers</a> living outside of Québec took (or intended to take) parental or paternity leave, compared to 85.6 percent of fathers in Québec. If the rest of Canada adopted Québec’s more inclusive policy framework, we could narrow the gendered gap in parental leave access.</p>
<p>While the COVID-19 pandemic created extraordinary uncertainty and unpredictability in employment, it also introduced new ways of thinking about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cars.12315">paid and unpaid work</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2020-077">how to support people’s work and care lives</a>. </p>
<p>If more Canadians are to harness the benefits of parental leave and remote work, we need to design employment and care policies in ways that recognize individuals of all gender identities as not just workers, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2020-091">but as caregivers and care receivers</a> throughout their lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218337/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kim de Laat receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alyssa K Gerhardt receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrea Doucet receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>If more Canadian fathers are to harness the benefits of parental leave and remote work, we need to design employment and care policies in ways that recognize every family’s unique needs.Kim de Laat, Sociologist and Assistant Professor at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, University of WaterlooAlyssa K Gerhardt, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Dalhousie UniversityAndrea Doucet, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Gender, Work, and Care, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2061522023-08-21T11:19:07Z2023-08-21T11:19:07ZShared parental leave has failed because it doesn’t make financial or emotional sense<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540474/original/file-20230801-25-b25rj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1732%2C30%2C5144%2C3226&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/vietnamese-young-father-feeding-his-baby-371031866">Dragon Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When <a href="https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay">shared parental leave</a> was introduced in 2015 in the UK, the then Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government described it as a “<a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2013-02-25/debates/13022511000001/ChildrenAndFamiliesBill?highlight=jo%20swinson%20radical#contribution-13022511000467">radical</a>” policy, suitable for modern <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/82969/12-1267-modern-workplaces-response-flexible-parental-leave.pdf">lives and workplaces</a>. </p>
<p>By allowing parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave in the first year of their child’s life, it was vaunted as a way to encourage fathers to bond with their babies and enable mothers to return to work sooner, helping to close the gender pay gap.</p>
<p>Eight years on, it’s hard to see shared parental leave as anything but a failure. We don’t know exactly what proportion of parents have used it over these eight years, but the number is certainly extremely low. </p>
<p>Figures for <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1166383/shared-parental-leave-evaluation-report-2023.pdf">children born between May and September 2017</a> show that just 1% of eligible mothers and 5% of eligible fathers took shared parental leave: the discrepancy coming from mothers taking maternity leave and leftover leave being claimed as shared parental leave by fathers. <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/documents/college-social-sciences/business/research/wirc/spl-policy-brief.pdf">Other research has found</a> that just over 1% of eligible parents took shared parental leave in 2017-18. And that’s not even 1% of all parents: some aren’t eligible for the benefit anyway.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there is little data on whether shared parental leave has been taken up by same-sex parents. </p>
<h2>More responsibility</h2>
<p>The primary caregiver in a child’s first year tends to take on the bulk of parenting during that child’s formative years – and this is usually the mother. Shared parental leave was intended to challenge this by giving the secondary caregiver, usually the father, the chance to take on more responsibility from the beginning.</p>
<p>Research has shown that this can work. Shared parenting gives fathers more opportunities to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6690499/">bond</a> with their babies which then <a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/jcfs.44.5.557">increases</a> their involvement in childcare as the child gets older. </p>
<p>But the way the policy was designed in the UK has left shared parental leave with plenty of downsides too. It requires mothers give up some of their maternity leave, which means they have less maternity leave overall. </p>
<p>The pay you receive (shared parental pay) is also a disadvantage. The first six weeks of maternity pay is 90% of the mother’s average earnings. Shared parental pay is <a href="https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay/what-youll-get">paid at a statutory rate</a>, currently less than half of <a href="https://checkyourpay.campaign.gov.uk/#are_you_23_or_over_">the living wage</a> (or 90% of the mother’s salary if it’s lower than this rate). This means that there’s no financial incentive for the mother to transfer her maternity leave within these first weeks. </p>
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<img alt="Parents looking at bills" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540485/original/file-20230801-23-7lyfr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540485/original/file-20230801-23-7lyfr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540485/original/file-20230801-23-7lyfr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540485/original/file-20230801-23-7lyfr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540485/original/file-20230801-23-7lyfr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540485/original/file-20230801-23-7lyfr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540485/original/file-20230801-23-7lyfr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Shared parental leave can cause financial headaches for parents.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-adult-couple-doing-paperwork-while-1601449429">SeventyFour/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>And if the father or secondary partner earns more than the mother (often referred to as the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017020946657">partner pay gap</a>” and the norm within the UK and other European countries), the financial costs of giving up that wage during shared parental leave are often insurmountable. This also true for couples where one partner is self-employed. Self-employed workers are <a href="https://www.unbiased.co.uk/discover/personal-finance/family/paternity-leave-pay-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work#:%7E:text=What%20about%20self%2Demployed%20paternity,shared%20parental%20leave%20or%20pay.">not eligible</a> for shared parental leave (or statutory paternity leave). </p>
<p>My <a href="https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/838816">research</a> with parents of babies born in 2020 found that the financial implications and complexity of the policy discourages parents from using shared parental leave. </p>
<h2>Parents’ wishes</h2>
<p>But the problem with the policy goes deeper than this. The UK’s shared parental leave fails to take into account parents’ desires to spend as much time as possible with their children, especially in the early years. It was designed without considering how beliefs about who provides the “best parenting” can shape parental decisions. Mothers <a href="https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/black-mothers-and-attachment-parenting">are reluctant</a> to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01442872.2019.1581160">sacrifice their time</a> with their child by sharing <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-42970-0_10">their parental leave</a>. </p>
<p>The overarching aim of shared parental leave was focused more on <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/82969/12-1267-modern-workplaces-response-flexible-parental-leave.pdf">helping the economy</a> – by keeping people in work or encouraging people to return to work – rather than on allowing parents to care for their child at home for as long as they wish. </p>
<p>Despite its imperfections, shared parental leave does provide families with some options that can be positive for both parents. But to really change societal dynamics around childcare and make caring responsibilities truly equal, we need policies that support children and parents and enable them to make the choices that work best for their families. </p>
<p>A good start would be to learn from places that have much higher rates of parental leave take-up, particularly where men take longer leave. These include <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35225982">Sweden</a> and Quebec in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/15/the-daddy-quota-how-quebec-got-men-to-take-parental-leave">Canada</a>. The key to these and other successes has been individual entitlement. This means giving fathers and secondary caregivers an independent right to well-paid leave. </p>
<p>If the government truly want to give children <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-in-life-a-research-review-for-early-years">the best start in life</a>, it should to reconsider how we support parents. Their ability to spend time with their children should not be linked to their value as a worker or their contribution to the economy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206152/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Patricia Hamilton's research was funded by a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (838816).</span></em></p>Shared parental leave requires mothers to give up some of their maternity leave.Patricia Hamilton, Lecturer, University of YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2065372023-08-17T10:09:06Z2023-08-17T10:09:06ZHow gender inequality is hindering Japan’s economic growth<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542561/original/file-20230814-23-4m3vtr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bokeh-shibuya-shopping-street-japanese-trade-566726533">Siriwat Sriphojaroen/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/how-gender-inequality-is-hindering-japans-economic-growth-206537&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p>Japan’s economy is under pressure from rising energy prices and defence costs and the impact of the pandemic. Plummeting birth rates and an <a href="https://theconversation.com/japan-is-not-the-only-country-worrying-about-population-decline-get-used-to-a-two-speed-world-56106">ageing population</a> further threaten the sustainability of its labour market. A <a href="https://www2.staffingindustry.com/row/Editorial/Daily-News/Japan-Worker-shortage-could-reach-11-million-by-2040-report-finds-65089">2023 study</a> by independent thinktank the Recruit Works Institute points to a labour supply shortage of 3.41 million people by 2030, and over 11 million by 2040.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/japans-politics-is-opening-up-to-women-but-dont-expect-a-feminist-revolution-yet-67243">Gender inequality</a> is another significant pressure point. Research <a href="https://www.piie.com/commentary/op-eds/study-firms-more-women-c-suite-are-more-profitable">shows</a> that a gender-inclusive society and workforce <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters">leads</a> to innovation and economic growth. However, Japan has one of the lowest levels of gender equality among G7 countries. It has slipped to its <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/06/b041fdee1839-japan-falls-to-record-low-125th-in-global-gender-gap-ranking.html">lowest ranking yet</a> in the World Economic Health Forum’s latest <a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2023/economy-profiles-5932ef6d39#report-nav">Global Gender Report</a>, particularly in terms of women in leadership positions. </p>
<p>Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently declared that Japan needs to urgently raise its birth rate. He also <a href="https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14895433">vowed</a> to increase the percentage of women executives in Tokyo stock exchange-listed companies, from 11.4% to 30% or more, by 2030. A <a href="https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14926108">policy draft</a> released in June indicates that this will be achieved through leadership quotas legally imposed on listed companies.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman office worker in an office setting." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542562/original/file-20230814-9571-2qa64a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542562/original/file-20230814-9571-2qa64a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542562/original/file-20230814-9571-2qa64a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542562/original/file-20230814-9571-2qa64a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542562/original/file-20230814-9571-2qa64a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542562/original/file-20230814-9571-2qa64a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542562/original/file-20230814-9571-2qa64a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women face discrimination and restrictive policies in the workplace.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/business-woman-sees-large-city-big-290042417">Gbbot/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Japan has tried this countless times, however, and largely failed. As my research <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003174257-14/reimagining-gender-roles-within-japan-achieve-sustainable-gender-equality-sarah-parsons">shows</a>, this is because gender norms are deeply embedded in Japanese society. </p>
<h2>Socialisation of gender norms</h2>
<p>Gender norms in Japanese society are tightly connected to patriarchal hierarchies that have evolved historically from the influence of <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/japanese-confucian/#ConfModeJapa">Confucianism</a>. The role of a man is linked to being the breadwinner and head of the family. Women, by contrast, are seen as wives and caregivers, ultimately subservient to the head of the family. </p>
<p>Children are taught these norms from an early age. Research <a href="https://philpapers.org/rec/DAVGIJ">shows</a> that Japanese preschool teachers <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20622704">position</a> children in various gender roles by encouraging gendered speech and behavioural patterns. Girls speak softly and act in a cute, non-threatening way. Boys, by contrast, use more dominant language and behaviour. Children’s books and TV programmes often perpetuate these hierarchical linguistic patterns and behaviour.</p>
<p>These beliefs and values influence hiring practices and organisational behaviour within the Japanese workplace, which is still based on the male-based breadwinner/female-dependent model. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Preschool children on a day trip." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542564/original/file-20230814-30-od0ynf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542564/original/file-20230814-30-od0ynf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542564/original/file-20230814-30-od0ynf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542564/original/file-20230814-30-od0ynf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542564/original/file-20230814-30-od0ynf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542564/original/file-20230814-30-od0ynf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542564/original/file-20230814-30-od0ynf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children are taught gendered roles and behaviour from very early on.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-little-kids-enjoying-field-trip-1971509282">Sally B/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>From 1945 to 1991, a period which economists refer to as the <a href="https://econreview.berkeley.edu/the-japanese-economic-miracle/#:%7E:text=Known%20as%20the%20Japanese%20Economic,end%20of%20the%20Cold%20War">economic miracle years</a>, most Japanese women were isolated from the leadership career path. This resulted in low levels of Japanese women in key decision-making positions. </p>
<p>Today, leadership is still seen as a male-dominated environment – even when the topic is about female empowerment. Japan was <a href="https://time.com/6290088/japan-gender-equality-g7/">the only country</a> to send a male delegate to the recent G7 delegation on gender equality and female empowerment. </p>
<p>Gaining promotions to higher-paid positions relies on long hours and commitment to the company, <a href="https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/05/14/why-arent-there-more-women-leaders-in-corporate-japan/">regardless of gender</a>. Gendered norms therefore result in a significant double burden on Japanese women. </p>
<p>Despite having one of the most generous paternity-leave provisions in the world, only <a href="https://www.wtwco.com/en-gb/insights/2022/02/japan-childcare-leave-entitlement-for-fathers-announced">14% of Japanese men</a> took paternity leave in 2021, compared with Sweden’s <a href="https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/annual_reviews/2019/Sweden_2019_0824.pdf">90% rate</a> of uptake. Japanese men also spend <a href="https://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?queryid=54757">the lowest amount</a> of time doing unpaid housework (41 minutes a day) among OECD countries. </p>
<p>Both the highly gendered workplace and unequal division of household labour mean that women are <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/704369#:%7E:text=Individuals%27%20narratives%20reveal%20how%20labor,consider%20having%20only%20one%20child">more likely</a> than men to miss out on promotions, take on lower-paid irregular jobs, and/or only consider having one child. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman hangs up washing in an indoor setting." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542572/original/file-20230814-30-jhu41d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542572/original/file-20230814-30-jhu41d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542572/original/file-20230814-30-jhu41d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542572/original/file-20230814-30-jhu41d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542572/original/file-20230814-30-jhu41d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542572/original/file-20230814-30-jhu41d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542572/original/file-20230814-30-jhu41d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Household division of labour continues to be unequal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/japanese-housewife-who-dries-laundry-indoors-1317087512">Kazoka/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Work-life expectations are unrealistic. And in the workplace, women face discrimination and harassment, as well as restrictive expectations of gendered behaviour and <a href="https://qz.com/1743901/why-japanese-companies-ban-women-from-wearing-glasses">appearance</a>. Yoshiro Mori stepped down as head of the Tokyo Olympics organising committee in 2021, after <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210405-why-japan-cant-shake-sexism">sexist</a> remarks he had <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56020674">reportedly</a> made in a Japanese Olympic committee meeting caused an international furore. Mori was quoted as saying women talk too much, and that when “allowed into” high-level meetings, they take up too much time. </p>
<h2>Failed solutions</h2>
<p>Previous Japanese government initiatives to raise the birth rate and improve gender equality have focused on introducing quotas for female leadership and executive boards, more childcare places, and enhanced parental leave. However, these have either failed to reach their target or have become <a href="https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/05/14/why-arent-there-more-women-leaders-in-corporate-japan/">tokenistic</a>. In fact, recent <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/loneliness-women-japan-gender-inequality/">initiatives</a> are reported to have exacerbated gender inequality and driven some women into poverty. </p>
<p>Singapore recently embarked on a similar mission as part of a national gender equality review. Its government has gathered ideas and feedback from women’s and youth groups, private organisations, academics, policymakers and the wider public. This has <a href="https://www.aware.org.sg/2021/07/aware-launches-historic-omnibus-report-gender-equality-all-stages-womens-lives/">resulted</a> in a policy wishlist and report, the findings of which will be implemented into both policy and education. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Sports day in a Japanese primary school." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542568/original/file-20230814-23-pfn7ru.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542568/original/file-20230814-23-pfn7ru.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542568/original/file-20230814-23-pfn7ru.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542568/original/file-20230814-23-pfn7ru.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542568/original/file-20230814-23-pfn7ru.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542568/original/file-20230814-23-pfn7ru.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542568/original/file-20230814-23-pfn7ru.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Improving gender equality must start with early-years education.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/ball-rolling-sports-day-1561873846">Maruco/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>My research shows that this approach would work for Japan, too. It could allow people to voice their opinions and wishes in an open debate – which chimes with Japan’s <a href="https://erinmeyer.com/mapping-out-cultural-differences-on-teams/">cultural preference</a> for decision-making achieved through consensus – rather than making direct criticisms of the patriarchal order. </p>
<p>Such a review would need to look at all stages of life and aspects of society that are involved in the socialisation of gender roles, and the impact these have, from both a human rights and an economic perspective. There is already evidence that gender inequality is leading to <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/loneliness-women-japan-gender-inequality/">mental health issues</a> in Japan, especially for divorcees and single mothers. </p>
<p>This review would also offer an opportunity for feedback from the younger generation. Research shows that many younger Japanese are becoming disenchanted with traditional gender roles. They are looking at <a href="https://online.ucpress.edu/currenthistory/article/120/827/240/118342/Japan-s-Younger-Generations-Look-for-a-New-Way-of">new ways of living</a> by choosing careers outside the echelons of power within Japanese society. They are also <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/why-are-young-japanese-rejecting-marriage/a-62248097">rejecting</a> the institution of marriage. </p>
<p>Japan has the opportunity to rewrite its gender equality trajectory. Doing so would hopefully include other representations of gender and diversity that have so far not been widely accepted within Japanese society, or <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/07/12/japan-passes-law-promote-understanding-lgbt-people">protected</a> within the law. Same-sex marriage is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/08/japan-court-falls-short-of-calling-same-sex-marriage-ban-unconstitutional">still unconstitutional</a> in some prefectures. Societal change at this level will take a generation. The conversation needs to start now.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206537/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Parsons works for her own company, East West Interface, that may share this article on social media etc and benefit from the associated PR. However, the original research that underpins this article is Sarah's own.</span></em></p>In the Japanese workplace, women face discrimination, restrictive behaviour and appearance codes and a lower glass ceiling than elsewhere. Only a profound cultural shift will change that.Sarah Parsons, Senior Teaching Fellow and Lecturer in East Asian Business, SOAS, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1807772022-04-13T20:33:42Z2022-04-13T20:33:42ZFewer than 1% of New Zealand men take paid parental leave – would offering them more to stay at home help?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457529/original/file-20220411-10942-h2ic9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C10%2C6679%2C4456&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The revelation that women’s KiwiSaver retirement savings <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/464724/new-study-shows-gender-wage-gap-persists-into-retirement">lag 20%</a> behind men’s represents a double threat: not only are women paid less during their working lives, they will also be poorer when they retire.</p>
<p>This is perhaps to be expected – the gap in retirement savings reflects the gender pay gap overall. Many women who do the same work as men are comparatively underpaid, meaning they have less money to save for their retirement. </p>
<p>COVID-19 worsened the pay and savings gender gap. The government’s <a href="https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/statistics/covid-19/who-received-the-covid-19-wage-subsidies-september-2020.html">direct financial assistance</a> favoured male-dominated sectors like construction, rather than female-dominated, low-wage sectors like hospitality. </p>
<p>On top of this, a COVID <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2021/11/16/increased-number-of-births-in-2021-confirm-lockdown-baby-boom/">baby boom</a> will likely see old trends reinforced, with more women than men taking time out of the paid workforce. In turn, this will see them <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/458102/bad-then-worse-now-how-covid-19-will-hurt-retired-women.">disadvantaged when they retire</a>, perpetuating the cycle.</p>
<p>Part of the solution, therefore, would be to enable more women to return to paid work by making it more attractive for men to take paid parental leave. Because right now, the number of new fathers choosing to do this is vanishingly small.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1511472175370309635"}"></div></p>
<h2>Old stereotypes persist</h2>
<p>These problems have wider implications for the rights of women to equality and freedom from discrimination under international and domestic law. </p>
<p>New Zealand’s Human Rights Act also prohibits indirect discrimination, meaning laws or policies that have a negative effect on certain groups – even if unintentional – are still discriminatory.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-coming-storm-for-new-zealands-future-retirees-still-renting-and-not-enough-savings-to-avoid-poverty-179661">The coming storm for New Zealand’s future retirees: still renting and not enough savings to avoid poverty</a>
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<p>Yes, New Zealand’s <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1987/0129/latest/DLM121500.html">statutory parental leave scheme</a> mitigates some of the immediate financial burden of childbearing and child rearing. It appears, on the face of it, to promote gender equality, since either parent can be the primary carer and thus be <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1987/0129/latest/DLM120458.html">entitled</a> to parental leave. Also, one parent can transfer their leave and <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1987/0129/latest/DLM121550.html">pay</a> entitlements to the other. </p>
<p>However, the statutory leave payments are capped at NZ$621 per week, which is less than the weekly minimum wage. And while a partner is entitled to up to <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1987/0129/latest/whole.html#DLM120608">two weeks</a> of leave, that leave is unpaid.</p>
<p>This rather meagre scheme hasn’t prevented <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/125293248/2degrees-dials-up-its-paid-parental-leave-to-hold-on-to-workers">some companies</a> from generating their own, more generous packages, some of which provide paid partner’s leave.</p>
<p>Yet the statutory entitlements are transferred in less than 1% of cases, and only 4% of partners take unpaid leave. It seems the present system serves to reinforce old <a href="https://www.mbie.govt.nz/assets/f58553252a/ris-2015-modernising-parental-leave.pdf">stereotypes</a> of women as carers and men as earners outside the home. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1512144390567116800"}"></div></p>
<h2>Stay-at-home dads</h2>
<p>One way to change this would be to introduce non-transferable, paid partner leave. This would apply irrespective of whether the primary carer has an entitlement to paid parental leave themselves. </p>
<p>Such a scheme would offer greater incentive for men to look after their young children at home, freeing up more women to go back to work. </p>
<p>There is evidence this works. Sweden introduced <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/rsa/456">paid parental leave</a> in 1974, but the number of fathers taking leave only jumped significantly when non-transferable paid leave was introduced in 1995.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-wonder-dads-arent-taking-shared-parental-leave-most-employers-have-failed-to-embrace-it-104290">No wonder dads aren't taking shared parental leave – most employers have failed to embrace it</a>
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<p>A number of other countries are <a href="https://www.unicef.org/media/95086/file/UNICEF-Parental-Leave-Family-Friendly-Policies-2019.pdf">already guaranteeing</a> paid parental leave that includes paid paternity leave or leave reserved specifically for fathers of infants. And a <a href="https://women.govt.nz/sites/public_files/parental-leave.pdf">similar recommendation</a> was made by New Zealand’s National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women as far back as 2008.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.oecd.org/policy-briefs/parental-leave-where-are-the-fathers.pdf">OECD research</a> suggests paternity leave payments need to be equivalent to half or more of a father’s previous earnings. Given the existing gender pay gap means fathers are already likely to be earning more than mothers, a partner-specific scheme would inevitably favour men.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/paid-family-leave-makes-people-happier-global-data-shows-179539">Paid family leave makes people happier, global data shows</a>
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<h2>Happier families</h2>
<p>Offering boosted paternity payments for men as a way to close the gender pay gap may seem paradoxical. But it does highlight the <a href="https://www.newsroom.co.nz/cap-doesnt-fit-for-paid-parental-leave">ineffectiveness</a> of current systems offering lower payments that are taken up mainly by women. </p>
<p>Again, <a href="https://www.ifau.se/globalassets/pdf/se/2010/wp10-4-the-effect-of-own-and-spousal-parental-leave-on-earnings.pdf">Swedish research</a> suggests separate payments to fathers can serve to close the gender pay gap by allowing mothers to return to the paid workforce. Opportunities for promotion and pay rises can then increase retirement savings.</p>
<p>And there are <a href="https://www.unicef.org/media/95086/file/UNICEF-Parental-Leave-Family-Friendly-Policies-2019.pdf">wider benefits</a> to these family-friendly policies, such as improved health for mothers and children, improved educational outcomes for children, and <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/fathers-days-increasing-the-daddy-quota-in-parental-leave-makes-everyone-happier/A5PN3ULCRVYFPB2IKWQ2DWAAUM/">lower levels of stress</a> among fathers.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fixing-gender-gaps-isnt-just-about-women-men-will-benefit-from-a-more-equal-society-too-94874">Fixing gender gaps isn't just about women – men will benefit from a more equal society too</a>
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<p>Of course, another barrier to men taking parental leave is their fear of the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210712-paternity-leave-the-hidden-barriers-keeping-men-at-work">career and social consequences</a>. Those <a href="https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2019/09/paid-parental-leave-cultural-shift-needed-to-encourage-dads-to-take-time-off.html">deeper stereotypes</a> of women as homemakers and men as providers will not disappear overnight, as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/10/sweden-parental-leave-corporate-pressure-men-work">Swedish experience</a> shows. But the fact a female prime minister’s male partner has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/commentisfree/2018/aug/06/clarke-gayford-is-staying-at-home-with-baby-neve-so-whats-the-big-deal">embraced the caregiving role</a> is perhaps a start. </p>
<p>Longer term, however, making paid paternity leave a more <a href="https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1816602/paid-leave-for-fathers.pdf">viable option</a> financially and socially for families will mean doing more to address the gender pay gap and its flow-on effects over a woman’s lifetime. </p>
<p>There’s no single solution to this multi-faceted problem, but encouraging more men back into the home with paid paternity leave would help shift things in the right direction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180777/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Breen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Current parental leave schemes reinforce old gender stereotypes and the pay gap between women and men. Overseas experience shows better targeted leave for new fathers helps everyone.Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of WaikatoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1795392022-04-06T12:23:08Z2022-04-06T12:23:08ZPaid family leave makes people happier, global data shows<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455648/original/file-20220331-20-lmaos1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C1131%2C6585%2C3653&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Caring for a newborn can be joyous.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/parents-with-baby-girl-sitting-on-sofa-royalty-free-image/1291784765">Johner Images via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The U.S. <a href="https://www.abc10.com/article/news/verify/government-verify/paid-family-maternity-leave-united-states-one-of-handful-countries-without-guarantee/536-d24f5921-835a-4c48-ae90-a0bbb00c5b77">remains the only</a> advanced economy <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-us-is-stingier-with-child-care-and-maternity-leave-than-the-rest-of-the-world-94770">without federal paid leave</a>, despite overwhelming <a href="https://theconversation.com/82-of-americans-want-paid-maternity-leave-making-it-as-popular-as-chocolate-159897">support for this benefit</a>.</p>
<p>Employers are free to provide this benefit at their own expense. But only <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/factsheet/family-leave-benefits-fact-sheet.htm">1 in 4 U.S. workers</a>, including <a href="https://www.commerce.gov/hr/paid-parental-leave-federal-employees">federal employees</a>, can take paid time off to care for a newborn or a newly adopted or fostered child. That’s problematic for many reasons, including the abundant evidence that paid leave boosts healthy <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1293603.pdf">childhood development</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/703138">economic security</a>.</p>
<p>President Joe Biden has sought to <a href="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/how-bidens-paid-fmla-proposal-would-work.aspx">expand access to paid family leave</a>, initially through his <a href="https://19thnews.org/2021/12/us-universal-paid-leave-build-back-better/">Build Back Better</a> package, which is now on hold. He reasserted his calls to do so in his March 2022 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/03/01/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-delivered/">State of the Union address</a>.</p>
<p>Based on our extensive research regarding the connections between <a href="https://scholar.google.co.jp/citations?user=sqnXS-sAAAAJ&hl=en">social policies</a> and the <a href="https://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/content/dam/arts-sciences/sociology/faculty/department-profiles/Kristen%20Schultz%20Lee%20updated%20CV.pdf">happiness of families</a>, we’re certain that expanding access to paid leave to more employees would make them happier.</p>
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<h2>Children and unhappy parents</h2>
<p>In recent years, a growing number of studies have indicated that <a href="https://contexts.org/articles/the-joys-of-parenthood-reconsidered/">parents, particularly in the United States</a>, are <a href="https://www.vox.com/22577373/do-i-want-kids-parenthood-baby-childfree">generally less happy</a> than their childless peers, especially when their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0190272520902453">children are little</a>.</p>
<p>Parents also experience more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/002214650504600403">depression</a>, <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F17579139211018243">loneliness</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0190272520902453">stress</a>.</p>
<p>Some scholars argue that a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/688892">lack of government support</a> for raising kids is causing this “<a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/happiest-parents-country/">happiness gap</a>.”</p>
<p>Only 6.3% of 3-year-olds and just over 33% of 4-year-olds nationwide are enrolled in a <a href="https://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/YB2020_Executive_Summary_080521.pdf">state-funded preschool program</a>, although free early childhood education is becoming more common. Likewise, just <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2021-11/57631-Paid-Leave.pdf">nine states</a> and the District of Columbia now provide paid family leave for new parents.</p>
<p>In other words, most U.S. families are still being left behind. And without universal free pre-K or <a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/paid-leave-in-u-s/">paid family leave</a>, many parents are <a href="https://www.readingrockets.org/article/pre-k-across-country">largely on their own</a> in terms of finding and paying for private child care for young children.</p>
<p>Paid family leave of at least a month can help parents to develop more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0192513X17728984">fulfilling family relationships</a>. For example, it can allow parents to spend more time reading and singing to their child, which benefits cognitive development.</p>
<p>The effects of paid leave on the relationship between parents depends on who is taking the leave. If only mothers take family leave, then <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/651384">gender inequality in housework</a> increases. But when fathers take paid leave, couples share their housework responsibilities and child care <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/703115">more equally</a>.</p>
<p>This is because when both parents take a leave after the arrival of a new child, they are more likely to establish household routines that result in an equal sharing of household tasks. One study found that when fathers were encouraged to take a parental leave, their participation in household tasks increased by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/703115">250%</a>.</p>
<p>When parents are free to take <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1293603">more time off work</a> to care for their infants and newly adopted children with fewer financial costs and little fear of job loss – and especially when dads are encouraged to take time off – both children and their parents are happier.</p>
<h2>Global perspectives</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.abc-clio.com/products/A4471C/">Through our research</a> spanning <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sot094">27 countries</a>, we’ve found that parents in wealthy countries with weak safety nets – <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/06/23/the-social-safety-net-the-gaps-that-covid-19-spotlights/">such as the U.S.</a> – tend to be less happy than their counterparts in countries <a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/case-danish-style-safety-net">like Denmark</a> where the government provides everyone with more support. </p>
<p>This is one reason Finland, Norway and other nations with strong welfare states <a href="https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/happiness/OECD/">consistently rank</a> at the top of the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2022/happiness-benevolence-and-trust-during-covid-19-and-beyond/#ranking-of-happiness-2019-2021">World Happiness Report</a>, an annual assessment based on Gallup World Poll data. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6609-9_14">U.S. ranks lower than would be predicted</a> in that report given its economic standing, while the opposite is true in the case of Denmark, Canada, New Zealand and other welfare states.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sot094">We’ve also found that</a> when governments step up their spending on social programs and adjust tax burdens to make the rich shoulder more of the costs of running the government, economic inequality declines. At the same time, the happiness levels of low-income and high-income people become more similar.</p>
<p>Higher social spending especially increases the happiness of women with small children and people who are cohabiting but unmarried. Other international research shows greater <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/679627">economic</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20190022">mental health</a>
benefits of paid leave for low-income families.</p>
<p><a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2020/the-nordic-exceptionalism-what-explains-why-the-nordic-countries-are-constantly-among-the-happiest-in-the-world">Recent</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sou010">research</a> by other scholars who study countries that have invested heavily in social welfare policies like paid family leave further supports our findings.</p>
<p>Respondents in the <a href="https://econpapers.repec.org/article/blaecinqu/v_3a51_3ay_3a2013_3ai_3a1_3ap_3a1-15.htm">world’s most generous welfare states</a> were more satisfied with their work, health and family life than people in places with weaker safety nets.</p>
<p>As one notable example, a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpab038">recent study</a> that one of us co-authored showed that the Japanese government’s investments in generous paid leave for families with small children, access to child care, child allowances and free health insurance for children, as well as increased benefits for older adults, were associated with modest gains in overall happiness.</p>
<p>These policies made significant differences for women with small children and older people, who became happier between 1990 and 2010.</p>
<h2>Losing benefits can decrease happiness</h2>
<p>In addition, there is evidence of what can happen when government benefits that meet many people’s needs are taken away. In the <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/happiness-growth-and-the-life-cycle-9780199597093?cc=jp&lang=en&#">former German Democratic Republic</a>, satisfaction generally rose between 1990, just before its transition to a free-market economy from a communist state, and 2004 in terms of the freedom to buy goods and services.</p>
<p>On the other hand, that same study found that satisfaction in the place that also used to be called East Germany plummeted concerning health, work and child care. People had been guaranteed access to health care and child care, as well as job security, under communist rule – but all of that changed when that system collapsed.</p>
<p>Federal paid leave gives families a chance to find their footing after the arrival of a new child, without having to quit their job or take unpaid time off. It should come as no surprise that such a safety net would make families not only economically more secure, but happier too.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=weekly&source=inline-weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179539/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hiroshi Ono receives funding from Japan Society for Promotion of Science.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristen Schultz Lee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>This important benefit does more than just help parents in terms of dollars and cents.Kristen Schultz Lee, Associate Professor of Sociology, University at BuffaloHiroshi Ono, Professor of Human Resource Management, School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1598972021-04-29T19:12:49Z2021-04-29T19:12:49Z82% of Americans want paid maternity leave – making it as popular as chocolate<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397674/original/file-20210428-19-tmjqes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C30%2C5155%2C2276&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Most U.S. parents who take time off work to tend to newborns currently use unpaid leave.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/katie-patel-holds-her-3-month-old-daughter-lucy-as-she-news-photo/1207641553">Whitney Curti/The Washington Post via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-center zoomable">
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<p>The United States is <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-us-is-stingier-with-child-care-and-maternity-leave-than-the-rest-of-the-world-94770">the only wealthy nation</a> that doesn’t guarantee paid leave to mothers after they give birth or adopt a child. The vast majority of Americans would like to see that change. </p>
<p>According to a <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/economy/articles-reports/2021/04/15/mothers-fathers-parental-leave-poll">YouGov poll of 21,000 people conducted between March 25 and April 1, 2021</a>, 82% of Americans think employees should be able to take paid maternity leave, including for adoption. That level of support makes this benefit about as <a href="https://www.candyindustry.com/articles/88414-report-more-than-80-percent-of-adults-will-consume-chocolate-this-year">popular as chocolate</a>. In fact, more Americans want to see paid parental leave in place than would like the government to refrain from cutting their <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/03/21/retirement-social-security-and-long-term-care/">Social Security benefits</a>. </p>
<p>President Joe Biden’s proposed <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/28/fact-sheet-the-american-families-plan/">US$1.8 trillion package of new and expanded benefits</a>, which requires congressional approval, would eventually make it possible for all workers to take up to <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-bidens-paid-leave-proposal-would-benefit-workers-their-families-and-their-employers-too-159880">12 weeks of paid family leave totaling as much as $4,000 per month</a>. This leave would be for mothers and fathers alike, as well as caring for yourself or another loved one.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=NzwC_FQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">scholars who have extensively studied</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6ayGbAcAAAAJ&hl=en">paid leave</a>, we have been struck by the persistence of Americans’ positive attitudes toward this benefit.</p>
<p>In our <a href="https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/hd4ct">newly released study</a> about attitudes among U.S. adults regarding paid leave based on data from 2012, 82% of Americans supported parents receiving paid leave – a proportion that’s identical to the recent YouGov poll. </p>
<p>Repeatedly, since then, <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2017/03/23/americans-widely-support-paid-family-and-medical-leave-but-differ-over-specific-policies/">polls have found</a> that <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/27/majority-of-americans-support-progressive-policies-such-as-paid-maternity-leave-free-college.html">at least 80%</a> of Americans support paid maternity leave.</p>
<p>In an era of <a href="https://theconversation.com/political-polarization-is-about-feelings-not-facts-120397">extreme political polarization</a>, it is astounding that so many Americans can agree on anything. Strong support is even apparent across the political spectrum: <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/27/majority-of-americans-support-progressive-policies-such-as-paid-maternity-leave-free-college.html">73% of Republicans, 83% of independents and 94% of Democrats</a> back the policy. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/paid-family-leave-and-sick-days-in-the-u-s/">Nine states</a> and Washington, D.C. have their own paid family leave programs, and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-paid-parental-leave/2020/09/30/ac8e36c8-0335-11eb-b7ed-141dd88560ea_story.html">federal workers</a> got paid leave in 2020. But only <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/benefits/2020/employee-benefits-in-the-united-states-march-2020.pdf">21% of U.S. workers</a> can take paid parental leave. The lack of a federal paid leave policy that covers all employees results in the current patchwork of different policies that are difficult to understand and generally not available to most families.</p>
<p>Our research suggests that one reason why paid leave policies have not been more widespread in the U.S. is that Americans are hesitant to support government programs that may require tax hikes. For instance, slightly fewer than half of Americans endorsed using some government funding for paid leave in 2012. Yet, <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/news/2021/02/05/495504/quick-facts-paid-family-medical-leave/">there is evidence</a> that this resistance has been fading, and <a href="https://paidleave.us/state-treasurers">employers are becoming more supportive</a> of these policies as well. </p>
<p>Support for paid leave for fathers used to be relatively low. About 50% of Americans, for example, endorsed paid leave for fathers in the 2012 survey data we reviewed. With <a href="https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/wj2p6">more active fathering</a> gaining popularity since then, support for <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2017/03/23/americans-widely-support-paid-family-and-medical-leave-but-differ-over-specific-policies/">paid paternity leave</a> has been rising. Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed by YouGov in early 2021 backed paid leave for moms and dads alike.</p>
<p>Years of research underscores the benefits of paid <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/healthier-minds-happier-world/202003/the-benefits-paid-maternity-leave-maternal-and-child">maternity leave</a> for women and their families. Our research has demonstrated that when fathers take paternity leave, they tend to develop <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-019-01050-y">better relationships with their kids</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soz014">partners</a>, become <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-018-0994-5">more actively involved in parenting</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279419000928">get divorced less frequently</a>.</p>
<p>Given that Americans have wanted paid leave for a long time and its benefits are increasingly clear, we believe that a national paid leave policy that covers all parents is an important step to improving the quality of life in America.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159897/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Knoester received relevant funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), Award R03HD087875.
. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard J. Petts received research funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), Award R03HD087875. Content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.</span></em></p>Polls have consistently found robust support for this benefit, with a growing share of the public approving of paid time off for dads.Chris Knoester, Associate Professor of Sociology, The Ohio State UniversityRichard J. Petts, Professor of Sociology, Ball State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1598802021-04-29T12:22:39Z2021-04-29T12:22:39ZHow Biden’s paid leave proposal would benefit workers, their families and their employers too<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397661/original/file-20210428-13-c6h85h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4994%2C2882&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Making ends meet when you have a newborn is easier with paid family leave.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/geri-andre-major-holds-her-son-maverick-2-1-2-weeks-on-news-photo/1215007355">John Moore/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The Biden administration is proposing a massive expansion of federal benefits through a 10-year <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/28/politics/american-families-plan/index.html">US$1.8 trillion package</a> that includes new spending on <a href="https://theconversation.com/biden-administrations-39-billion-child-care-strategy-5-questions-answered-159119">child care</a>, the continuation of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/millions-of-american-parents-will-soon-get-a-monthly-allowance-4-questions-answered-156834">expanded child tax credit</a> and more robust <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-steps-the-governments-taking-toward-covid-19-relief-could-help-fight-hunger-152520">nutrition programs</a>. Notably, it would introduce a new federal paid family leave benefit costing an estimated $225 billion over the next decade. If it is fully phased in as proposed, workers could get up to $4,000 a month for a total of 12 weeks in paid leave to care for a newborn, another loved one or themselves.</em></p>
<p><em>The Conversation U.S. asked <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Jc-a1IwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Joya Misra</a>, a sociologist who studies how public policies influence inequality, four questions about paid leave in the U.S.</em></p>
<h2>1. How much of a change would this be?</h2>
<p>Federal law currently guarantees many employed Americans the right to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave to care for family members through the <a href="https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/whdfs28a.pdf">Family and Medical Leave Act</a>. Because of eligibility restrictions, <a href="https://www.diversitydatakids.org/research-library/data-visualization/unequal-access-fmla-leave-persists">less than half of all U.S. workers</a> can technically access this benefit. Even fewer of those who are eligible <a href="https://www.clasp.org/publications/fact-sheet/paid-family-and-medical-leave-critical-low-wage-workers-and-their-families">can afford</a> to take advantage of it.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/40204457">U.S. is truly exceptional</a> in this regard.</p>
<p>Employed women get <a href="https://worldpolicycenter.org/policies/is-paid-leave-available-for-mothers-of-infants">paid maternity leave</a> in <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-us-is-stingier-with-child-care-and-maternity-leave-than-the-rest-of-the-world-94770">almost every nation</a> in the world. Many countries also provide workers with paid leave to care for their ailing <a href="https://worldpolicycenter.org/policies/is-paid-leave-available-specifically-for-adult-family-members-health-needs/is-paid-leave-available-specifically-for-elderly-parents-health-needs">parents, partners</a> or other relatives who need care, which is what the Biden administration is proposing. </p>
<p>Nine states, including <a href="https://www.edd.ca.gov/disability/paid_family_leave.htm">California</a> and <a href="https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US">Connecticut</a>, and the District of Columbia already <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/paid-family-and-medical-leave-by-state-5089907">offer some form of paid family leave</a>. Their track records provide <a href="https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/economic-justice/paid-leave/first-impressions-comparing-state-paid-family-leave-programs-in-their-first-years.pdf">strong evidence</a> regarding the advantages of paid – as opposed to unpaid – family leave.</p>
<h2>2. How would Biden’s paid leave plan benefit workers?</h2>
<p>When workers need to care for a family member with an illness, or a new child, they often find themselves <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2016/09/22/143877/the-cost-of-inaction/">out of a job</a>. Researchers have found that the lack of paid leave leads to at least $20.6 billion in lost wages per year. Paid family leave especially helps <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2019.1635436">low-income U.S. workers</a> stay employed when they need it most. In states that fund paid leave, women are <a href="https://econpapers.repec.org/paper/amuwpaper/2019-07.htm">20% less likely</a> to quit their jobs after having a baby. </p>
<p>Only <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/factsheet/family-leave-benefits-fact-sheet.htm">16% of Americans with private sector jobs</a> currently get paid leave through their employer; most of them work for big companies like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-parental-leave-policies-from-large-us-companies-2019-6#este-lauder-employees-have-20-weeks-to-take-off-10">Facebook and American Express</a>. </p>
<p>Some public-sector workers, but not all, can access paid leave, including those benefiting from a <a href="https://www.commerce.gov/hr/paid-parental-leave-federal-employees">federal paid parental leave policy</a> adopted in October 2020.</p>
<p>Many employees who can technically take unpaid leave can’t do that without <a href="https://theconversation.com/taking-advantage-of-unpaid-leave-can-increase-the-chances-that-workers-will-face-economic-hardship-129163">experiencing financial hardship</a>. In states with paid leave, evidence suggests that those policies make it easier for workers to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2019.1704398">financially weather a birth, an adoption or a short-term health crisis</a>.</p>
<h2>3. How would employers benefit?</h2>
<p>Researchers have found that paid leave is good for business.</p>
<p>It increases <a href="https://www.russellsage.org/research/reports/future-of-work/leaves-that-pay">worker retention, productivity and loyalty</a>, while also allowing smaller businesses to compete more fairly with big companies. Public opinion polls and surveys have long found that <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2017/03/23/americans-widely-support-paid-family-and-medical-leave-but-differ-over-specific-policies/">most Americans</a>, including small-business owners, <a href="https://smallbusinessmajority.org/our-research/workforce/small-businesses-support-paid-family-leave-programs">support paid family leave</a>. </p>
<p>For example, nearly all businesses surveyed about the effects of the <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6bm118ss">California paid leave program</a>, adopted in 2004, said that the program had either a positive effect or no noticeable impact on productivity, profits, retention and morale. <a href="https://siepr.stanford.edu/research/publications/paid-family-leave-policies">Employee turnover</a> fell in California once it enacted its paid leave policy.</p>
<p>Other states have seen similar results.</p>
<p>One year after <a href="https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/77474">Rhode Island adopted paid leave</a> in 2018, most employers there supported the policy. <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w28672">New York employers are also enthusiastic</a>, partly because paid leave makes it easier to deal with employee absences. In <a href="https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/njbia-the-impact-of-paid-family-leave-on-nj-businesses/">New Jersey, most employers</a> said they experienced no change in their profits, performance or productivity after the adoption of that state’s paid leave policy, which they say was easy to implement.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2018/beyond-bls/labor-force-participation-and-employment-rates-declining-for-prime-age-men-and-women.htm">U.S. workforce participation has been decreasing</a> for years, especially for women. Comparing the United States to Canada, some researchers estimate that with more access to paid leave and affordable child care, as many as <a href="https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/publications/economic-letter/2018/november/why-are-us-workers-not-participating/">5 million more workers</a> could enter the U.S. labor force – boosting the economy. </p>
<h2>4. Is the Biden administration’s estimate of the cost realistic?</h2>
<p>The Biden administration estimates that its proposed paid leave program will cost <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/28/paid-leave-of-up-to-4000-a-month-for-12-weeks-part-of-biden-proposal.html">$225 billion over the next decade</a>. I think that this is a reasonable expectation, as state-based paid leave programs have not been very expensive. </p>
<p>In most states, paid family leave has been funded through <a href="https://search.proquest.com/openview/eb487862db7450354f05099d82568487/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=34391">employee payroll taxes</a>, though some states jointly fund the program between employees and employers. Funding through a payroll tax spreads the cost across millions of workers and employers. </p>
<p>However, at this point, Biden seeks to fund this program and others through <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/bidens-first-speech-to-congress-full-text-11619659158">taxes on people who earn more than $400,000 per year</a> and corporations. </p>
<p>The nonprofit <a href="https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/economic-justice/paid-leave.html">National Partnership for Women and Families</a> estimates that someone earning the median U.S. income, currently around <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA672N">$36,000 per year</a>, would pay about $1.48 per week, or $76.85 annually, to fund this program. In Massachusetts, where I live, workers pay no more than <a href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/paid-family-and-medical-leave-pfml-fact-sheet#how-does-pfml-work-and-how-much-does-it-cost?-">38 cents</a> per every $100 that they earn to fund paid the state’s paid leave program. Self-employed workers can opt into this system. </p>
<h2>5. How much family leave is parental versus for other kinds of care?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.edd.ca.gov/Disability/Paid_Family_leave.htm">In California</a>, about half of all paid family leave claims are for new mothers, about one-third are for new fathers and the rest involve care for other family members – a seriously ill older child, a parent or in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or registered domestic partner. </p>
<p>Providing paid leave for new parents could have a big impact, as currently most U.S. women lack <a href="https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/economic-justice/paid-leave.html">paid maternity leave</a> and even fewer men can take time off to welcome a new baby. That’s unfortunate, in my view, because <a href="https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/204-the-child-development-case-for-a-national-paid-family-and-medical-leave-program">paid leave</a> is associated with better health outcomes for both mothers and children, less stressed families, greater connection to employers and greater economic security for working families. </p>
<p>I believe that federal paid leave to care for relatives is crucial, given the <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-life-expectancies-rise-so-are-expectations-for-healthy-aging-102388">aging population</a> in the U.S. and the growing number of workers who need time off to care for aging family members. With <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-1-in-5-americans-are-taking-care-of-their-elderly-ill-and-disabled-relatives-and-friends-138246">1 in 5 adults</a> caring for another adult, many of whom are shouldering financial burdens as a result, a federal paid family leave policy would make a big difference. </p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joya Misra receives funding from the National Science Foundation and Washington Center for Equitable Growth. </span></em></p>If the plan is fully phased in as proposed, workers could get up to $4,000 a month for a total of 12 weeks in paid leave to care for a newborn, another loved one or themselves within 10 years.Joya Misra, Professor of Sociology & Public Policy, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1541552021-02-19T13:20:50Z2021-02-19T13:20:50Z3 ways companies could offer more father-friendly policies that will help women<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385064/original/file-20210218-16-kezfpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=190%2C111%2C5116%2C3301&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Giving new dads 'fathers-only' leave is one way to support women's equality.
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/new-born-nestled-against-his-dad-royalty-free-image/550343969">Catherine Delahaye/Stone via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you want to help women achieve gender equality in the workplace, it’s time to give more support to men. </p>
<p>That may sound counterintuitive since men have long been advantaged at work with <a href="https://www.nber.org/digest/feb07/new-evidence-gender-differences-promotions-and-pay">higher salaries</a>, <a href="https://hbr.org/2010/09/why-men-still-get-more-promotions-than-women">faster promotions</a> and more authority.</p>
<p>We are two professors who study gender equality and injustices in the workplace. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000222">One of us reviewed 186 published papers</a> on gender equality in the last decade. Our conclusion: One of the biggest problems in contemporary policies aimed at gender equality in the workplace is that they leave out men. </p>
<p>For many women with young children, taking on more responsibilities at work means their responsibilities at home need to decrease. And for that to happen, men need to step up – and be encouraged to do so. Here are three ways companies could do just that. </p>
<h2>1. Men need family-friendly policies, too</h2>
<p>Family-friendly policies such as flextime, telecommuting and a compressed workweek have been seen as supporting women’s traditional roles and hence <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12017">as more needed for women</a> to take advantage of. </p>
<p>While <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/07/how-women-and-men-use-flexible-work-policies-differently/277954/">most companies offer flextime policies</a> to both men and women, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12018">some studies show men’s usage has been stigmatized</a> and discouraged – and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227959383_Parental_Leave_of_Absence_Some_Not_So_Family-Friendly_Implications1">may even hurt their careers</a>. </p>
<p>It may depend on why men take advantage of such policies. “High-status men” who sought flexible hours to advance their careers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12019">were most likely to get it</a> – as opposed to those who sought to take on more child-caring duties. Men who sought flextime for this reason also anticipated more backlash for such requests.</p>
<p>Companies could overcome these stereotypes and fears by encouraging men to take advantage of these types of family-friendly policies and by proclaiming that there’s no penalty if the reason is to take on more domestic responsibilities.</p>
<h2>2. ‘Fathers-only’ leave</h2>
<p>Parental leave is another common policy targeting mostly women. Most countries with nationally mandated parental leaves <a href="https://cepr.net/report/plp/">provide significantly more time to mothers</a> than fathers.</p>
<p>Even when parental leave is accessible to fathers, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2017.1307806">men are far less likely to use it</a> because of financial costs, gender expectations, a lack of organizational support and the <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/03/to-make-the-case-for-paternity-leave-dads-will-have-to-work-together">fear it may hurt their careers</a>.</p>
<p>Yet <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243213503900">research shows</a> that men who take parental leave become equal partners in raising their children, beyond the time they take off before or after a baby is born. </p>
<p>Organizations that don’t offer paternal leave should, of course, do so. But even those that already provide it should do more to encourage men to take advantage of it. One way is by offering “fathers-only” paid leave in addition to whatever is given to mothers. </p>
<p>In many countries where parental leave is mandated, such as Canada and across Europe, leave can be shared between men and women any way parents like. Data show that <a href="http://www.oecd.org/policy-briefs/bytopic/socialandwelfareissues/">mothers typically take the majority of that leave</a>, while fathers take very little.</p>
<p>Canada is a good example. Across the country, <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-008-x/2012002/article/11697-eng.htm">only 15% of new dads take any leave</a> out of the available 35 weeks of shared parental leave. But in Quebec, which has been offering fathers-only leave since 2006, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-one-province-got-80-per-cent-of-fathers-to-take-paternity-leave-118737">over 80% of new dads took</a> the five weeks reserved for fathers only. Given its success, in 2019 the rest of Canada <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2019/03/14/new-parental-leave-dads-canada_a_23692448/">added a similar policy</a> of reserving leave for fathers. </p>
<p>By setting aside a certain share for fathers only – without reducing the number of weeks available to new mothers – companies can signal that they want men to take parental leave too. </p>
<h2>3. Cutting down on long hours</h2>
<p>Another common practice that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839219832310">undermines gender equality</a> is long work hours. </p>
<p>Research shows that in nations that foster a culture that rewards overtime work, men do less housework and women do more. This undermines both men’s effort to engage in their roles outside of the office and women’s effort to engage in their careers.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=100Ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>Not only that, studies have also found that <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/08/the-research-is-clear-long-hours-backfire-for-people-and-for-companies">long hours do not lead to more productivity</a> and, if anything, can be counterproductive and unsustainable. </p>
<p>The research clearly shows offering these policies isn’t enough. Employers need to encourage men to use them, without fear of repercussions, for the policies to be successful.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154155/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ivona Hideg's research is supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Manuela Priesemuth does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Women and their careers benefit when men are allowed – and encouraged – by their employers to do more caregiving.Ivona Hideg, Associate Professor and Ann Brown Chair in Organization Studies, York University, CanadaManuela Priesemuth, Associate Professor of Management, Villanova UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1373602020-05-06T18:56:02Z2020-05-06T18:56:02ZParental leave laws don’t do enough for single moms – but there’s a way to fix that<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332867/original/file-20200505-83730-1nzqnlk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C30%2C6720%2C3500&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Parenthood in 2020 is perhaps tougher than usual.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mother-tending-to-crying-baby-on-bed-royalty-free-image/1168057908">Cavan Images/ Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>New moms may have trouble enjoying Mother’s Day 2020.</p>
<p>As this crisis has unfolded, pregnant women <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/terrified-pregnant-health-care-workers-at-risk-for-coronavirus-are-being-forced-to-keep-working">have been forced to work</a> without proper protective gear, <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vamc-martinsburg-telework/65-6a876f7d-0f33-4e24-8508-233966ed51db">with some choosing to quit</a> rather than risk exposure to the coronavirus and contracting COVID-19. Many others will be among the 30 million American workers who have <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2020/04/30/covid-19-us-unemployment-state-benefits/">become unemployed without having any say about it</a>. And some of those who are still working will reasonably fear any missed days could mean they’ll soon be laid off. </p>
<p>The good news is that a growing number of states, including New York, New Jersey and California, have <a href="https://www.abetterbalance.org/resources/paid-family-leave-laws-chart/">passed family leave</a> laws that can help. Parents in these states who have been regularly working can get benefits for a short time while caring for newborns or recently adopted children.</p>
<p>The laws address a major gap in American workplace policy. The United States is the <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/paid-family-and-medical-leave-an-issue-whose-time-has-come/">only developed country</a> that fails to guarantee paid parental leave to all workers.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lp6kuV0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Having studied</a> <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3505553">parental leave laws around the world</a>, I believe the new U.S. laws are a crucial step forward. But I think they treat single parents, <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/2018/single-parent.html">most of whom are women</a>, unfairly. </p>
<h2>Promoting gender equality</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_242615.pdf">Nearly all developed countries</a> guarantee mothers at least three months paid maternity leave, while fathers often receive a much shorter paternity leave. Some countries supplement this sex-specific structure by offering families an additional period of shared parental leave, which is also <a href="https://www.oecd.org/policy-briefs/parental-leave-where-are-the-fathers.pdf">typically used by mothers</a>. </p>
<p><iframe id="MeC6a" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/MeC6a/8/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>The U.S. model is very different.</p>
<p>The state leave laws, and a <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/benefits/2020/01/not-all-federal-employees-are-covered-under-the-new-paid-parental-leave-law-at-least-not-yet/">similar policy that will soon cover</a> most <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/budget/2019/12/trump-signs-shutdown-averting-spending-bills-makes-federal-pay-raise-law/">federal workers</a>, provide each parent an equal and individual right to take paid time off without having to worry about losing their jobs.</p>
<p>For example, in <a href="https://paidfamilyleave.ny.gov/bonding-leave-birth-child#bonding-with-your-new-baby">New York state</a>, moms are currently eligible for up to 10 weeks of partial wage replacement, and so are dads. Both members of a same-sex couple can qualify, so long as each is legally recognized as a parent. </p>
<p>This structure is designed to encourage fathers to take time off. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3505553">Early evidence</a> suggests it works. In <a href="https://www.edd.ca.gov/disability/paid_family_leave.htm">California</a> and <a href="http://www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi/pdf/tdi/2018.pdf">Rhode Island</a>, men account for almost 40% of parental leave claims. This rate is far above the average for industrialized countries of <a href="https://www.oecd.org/els/family/PF2-2-Use-childbirth-leave.pdf">18%</a>, and very close to that of international leaders. </p>
<p>Studies of <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/fathers-leave-fathers-involvement-and-child-development_5k4dlw9w6czq-en">men who take parental leave</a> suggest that those dads will be more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12494">engaged parents</a> months, or even years, later. Having more men take leave can also <a href="https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc955354/">promote equality at work</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2011.06.011">at home</a>. </p>
<p>I agree it’s essential to encourage men to do their fair share of child care. <a href="https://voxeu.org/article/impact-coronavirus-pandemic-gender-equality">The crisis highlights longstanding gender inequities</a>, with <a href="https://www.today.com/parents/mental-load-coronavirus-pandemic-means-moms-take-more-t179021">moms being far more likely</a> than dads to put work aside to meet the needs of their children who are suddenly at home full-time. </p>
<h2>Half as much</h2>
<p>The U.S. structure, however, disadvantages single-parent families, as they can claim only half as much time off as two-parent families. This is a significant problem because about <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf">40% of U.S. births are to unmarried parents</a>.</p>
<p><iframe id="2TOKV" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/2TOKV/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>There are large disparities on the basis of <a href="https://www.childtrends.org/publications/dramatic-increase-in-percentage-of-births-outside-marriage-among-whites-hispanics-and-women-with-higher-education-levels">race and ethnicity</a>, <a href="https://www.childtrends.org/publications/dramatic-increase-in-percentage-of-births-outside-marriage-among-whites-hispanics-and-women-with-higher-education-levels">education</a> and <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2013/acs/acs-21.html">income</a>. In short, unmarried parents are particularly likely to be vulnerable workers, at <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/who-are-the-workers-already-impacted-by-the-covid-19-recession/">heightened risk</a> of losing their jobs during the pandemic. </p>
<p>Where unmarried parents are <a href="https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/04/25/the-changing-profile-of-unmarried-parents/">living together</a>, or otherwise both involved in child care, it makes sense that each should be able to take parental leave. But many single parents, disproportionately women, <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/2018/single-parent.html">raise children on their own</a>, even from birth. </p>
<h2>An alternative model</h2>
<p>Other countries that set aside parental leave time for each parent address this issue by having special rules that apply to parents with sole custody. For example, <a href="https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/country_notes/2017/Iceland.FINAL.2may2017.pdf">in Iceland, mothers and fathers</a> each get three months of leave, and either parent can use an additional three months. Single parents, however, can use the full nine months that a couple would be able to take.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3587979">I will propose in a forthcoming paper</a>, U.S. laws could be made more fair by allowing single parents to receive as many weeks of benefits as two-parent families. Or the laws could be changed to allow a single parent to share benefits with a different family member, such as a grandmother, who could help with care. Because the cost of providing benefits is spread through the <a href="https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/key_workplace/2107/">tax system</a>, this approach would provide much-needed support for single parents without placing an extra burden on individual employers.</p>
<p>Without a change like this, the nation’s approach to parental leave will continue to provide less help to the families who are likely to need it the most.</p>
<p><em>An earlier version of this article was published on <a href="https://theconversation.com/parental-leave-laws-are-failing-single-parents-129668">Jan. 14, 2020</a>.</em></p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137360/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Widiss received funding from the Australian-American Fulbright Commission for research on parental leave policies. She serves as an unpaid consultant for the Indiana Institute for Working Families; she has advised the organization on legal issues related to the gender wage gap and job protections for pregnant workers.</span></em></p>Single mothers need more of a break than they get under current laws.Deborah Widiss, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs; Professor of Law and Ira C. Batman Faculty Fellow, Indiana UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1361662020-04-21T14:08:54Z2020-04-21T14:08:54ZThe coronavirus could either help or hinder women’s candidacies<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328775/original/file-20200417-152591-ppnoev.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3500%2C2321&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In this January 2019 photo, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser kisses her daughter after being sworn in. Will the coronavirus stop women's careers from advancing or lead to societal changes that will make advancement easier? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Women’s leadership has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/04/15/coronavirus-covid-19-women-leaders-response-newday-vpx.cnn">drawn a lot of praise</a> during the COVID-19 crisis, including for politicians like New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/april-2020/canadas-chief-medical-officers-put-womens-leadership-in-spotlight/">chief medical officers</a> Theresa Tam and Bonnie Henry. </p>
<p>There has also been quick acceptance that women’s perspectives must shape the crisis response. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/world/coronavirus-domestic-violence.html">Attention to issues like domestic violence</a>, which is increasing during the pandemic, is a good example. Longer term, however, what effect will the crisis have on women’s political power? Will the pool of women candidates and leaders swell or contract in coming years?</p>
<p>Women make up only <a href="https://data.ipu.org/women-averages">25 per cent of legislators worldwide</a>, and only 29 per cent in Canada’s House of Commons. The chief obstacle for women attaining political office is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008423919000064">recruitment and nomination</a>, not general election. Women are less likely than men to seek candidacy, and parties are less likely to recruit and nominate women than men, including to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2012.12.001">winnable districts</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328774/original/file-20200417-152591-1nl034v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C200%2C2754%2C1251&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328774/original/file-20200417-152591-1nl034v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328774/original/file-20200417-152591-1nl034v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328774/original/file-20200417-152591-1nl034v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328774/original/file-20200417-152591-1nl034v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328774/original/file-20200417-152591-1nl034v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328774/original/file-20200417-152591-1nl034v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A group of New Zealand women lawmakers, including Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in the centre holding her infant daughter, pose for a photograph at parliament in September 2018 in Wellington, New Zealand. The lawmakers were re-enacting a 1905 photograph that featured only male lawmakers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Nick Perry)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Political recruitment requires time, money and professional networks. Economic status and social hierarchy affect the decision to run for office. </p>
<h2>Women have fewer resources</h2>
<p>Women run less often because they have fewer of these resources, and early data on COVID-19’s effects suggest those inequities will widen. <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200409/dq200409a-eng.htm">Statistics Canada’s March jobs report</a>, for example, shows that Canadian women suffered greater job losses than men since the pandemic started, and not only in the service industry, but also in the hard-hit insurance, real estate and finance sectors. </p>
<p>Among core workers aged 25 to 54 years, women account for 70 per cent of job losses. Government income supports will help compensate, but concern about women’s economic well-being and future career trajectories is warranted.</p>
<p>For women who have retained employment, they too face pandemic pressures. With schools and day-care centres closed, many parents now find themselves engaged heavily in child care and home-schooling, and also care responsibilities for relatives, friends and neighbours. Women shoulder a disproportionate share of all these tasks. </p>
<p>In Canada, the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/180730/dq180730a-eng.htm">2015 General Social Survey (GSS)</a> shows that women spent 47 per cent more time per day on housework than men did (2.8 hours versus men’s 1.9 hours), 64 per cent more time on routine child-care tasks (2.3 versus 1.4 hours), and 70 per cent more time per day on caring for other adults (1.7 versus 1 hour).</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328768/original/file-20200417-152591-1bgg93y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328768/original/file-20200417-152591-1bgg93y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328768/original/file-20200417-152591-1bgg93y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328768/original/file-20200417-152591-1bgg93y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328768/original/file-20200417-152591-1bgg93y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328768/original/file-20200417-152591-1bgg93y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328768/original/file-20200417-152591-1bgg93y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women still spend a lot more time on housework than men.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Detailed time-use data was not collected in the 2018 General Social Survey, but it is unlikely that these patterns changed dramatically in three years, and certainly not enough to close care gaps. </p>
<p>As the care demands increase during COVID-19, therefore, it’s reasonable to assume that women are the essential front line in many households. </p>
<h2>Career paths interrupted</h2>
<p>Care for home and children can be a rewarding part of life for many men and women. But the danger now is that inequitable care patterns established long before the crisis are likely to have dramatic consequences. These include substantial interruptions in women’s career achievement and diminished time and energy for political engagement. This consequently will contribute to even greater gaps in the supply of qualified and eager women candidates post-pandemic. </p>
<p>On the other hand, maybe things will be better for women candidates after the pandemic. Perhaps flexible work arrangements will persist, allowing more women to combine care-taking and career ambitions, including political careers. </p>
<p>Legislatures could become more flexible workplaces, allowing remote sittings and voting, for example, as recommended by the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/news/2016/july/20%20Jul%20Prof%20Sarah%20Childs%20The%20Good%20Parliament%20report.pdf"><em>Good Parliament Report</em></a>, a blueprint for a more representative British parliament by gender and politics professor Sarah Childs. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328765/original/file-20200417-152558-1w9do9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328765/original/file-20200417-152558-1w9do9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328765/original/file-20200417-152558-1w9do9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328765/original/file-20200417-152558-1w9do9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328765/original/file-20200417-152558-1w9do9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328765/original/file-20200417-152558-1w9do9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328765/original/file-20200417-152558-1w9do9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/328765/original/file-20200417-152558-1w9do9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australian Green Party Sen. Larissa Waters breastfeeds her baby at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia in May 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While complex, such reforms might make politics more attractive to women, especially in large countries like Canada, where many MPs must travel thousands of kilometres between their constituencies and Parliament Hill. Greater workplace flexibility would also allow women MPs to breastfeed longer if they choose, and recover more fully post-birth, while still serving their constituents and fulfilling parliamentary duties. </p>
<p>In the home, the COVID-19 crisis may have put some men into primary caretaker roles if they’ve been laid off and their partners have not, which may accelerate the erosion of gendered norms about the household division of labour. </p>
<h2>More involved fathers post-pandemic?</h2>
<p><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F138826271401600403">Studies of the effects of paternity/parental leave on fathers</a> suggest that caretaking norms and behaviours can shift rapidly. Men who take parental leave are more likely to be involved with the care of their children further down the road. </p>
<p>The effect is found in countries around the world, and is not simply a product of pre-birth childcaring commitment, socioeconomic status and other drivers of involvement — it appears to be an independent effect of men taking parental leave.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fathers-day-involved-dads-are-healthier-and-happier-117650">Father's Day: Involved dads are healthier and happier</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Households where men have experienced primary or equitably shared care for a child end up being more equitable environments with greater continued sharing of care later too. The same outcome may prevail as a result of COVID-19 child care and home schooling.</p>
<p>Whatever the eventual impact on women’s candidacies post-pandemic, COVID-19 has the potential to shock the system, upending or reinforcing existing gender imbalances in political power.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136166/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada</span></em></p>Whatever the eventual impact on women’s candidacies post-pandemic, COVID-19 has the potential to shock the system, upending or reinforcing existing gender imbalances in political power.Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant, Associate Professor, Political Studies; Director, Canadian Opinion Research Archive, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1305012020-02-07T13:50:19Z2020-02-07T13:50:19ZEmployment gaps cause career trouble, especially for former stay-at-home parents<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313582/original/file-20200204-41490-ip2ut6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It is harder for stay-at-home moms to return to work than for stay-at-home dads.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/african-mother-her-smiling-daughter-using-536552224">Liderina/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Understanding how employment gaps can affect careers is especially relevant given the recent policy discussions around <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/12/11/21004707/paid-parental-leave-federal-workers-space-force">paid family leave</a> and <a href="https://www.ffyf.org/cnn-debate-2020-candidates-agree-on-child-care/">childcare access</a> in the U.S.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.kateweisshaar.com/research">I am a sociologist</a> whose research examines what happens to people’s careers after they take time out of work. I find that gaps in employment can negatively affect future career prospects in multiple ways, particularly for those who left work for childcare responsibilities.</p>
<h2>No support for working parents</h2>
<p>Decisions to leave work often happen because working parents in the U.S. <a href="http://doi.org/10.1257/aer.103.3.251">lack support</a>.</p>
<p>With <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/12/16/u-s-lacks-mandated-paid-parental-leave/">no mandated paid parental leave</a>, the <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/reports/2019/03/28/467488/child-care-crisis-keeping-women-workforce/">high costs of childcare</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0730888413515691">long work hours</a> and the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00380253.2016.1246905">spillover of work</a> into other parts of life – for example, checking emails or being “on call” – parents in the U.S. <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691178851/making-motherhood-work">may find themselves in a bind</a>.</p>
<p>If a paycheck doesn’t cover the cost of childcare, or if the demands of both work and family seem irreconcilable, something has to give. </p>
<p>It is in these contexts that some parents – <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm">more often mothers than fathers</a> – decide to leave work to care for their children, even if temporarily.</p>
<p>My research shows that having an employment lapse can have lasting consequences on careers. I explore this finding, first, in terms of hiring and employers’ perceptions of job applicants and, second, in an article with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VpSwBpoAAAAJ&hl=en">Tania Cabello-Hutt</a> examining the impact on wages.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313538/original/file-20200204-41485-1dw4mth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313538/original/file-20200204-41485-1dw4mth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313538/original/file-20200204-41485-1dw4mth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313538/original/file-20200204-41485-1dw4mth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313538/original/file-20200204-41485-1dw4mth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313538/original/file-20200204-41485-1dw4mth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313538/original/file-20200204-41485-1dw4mth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Politicians introduced paid family leave legislation during a news conference in March 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/parental-leave?agreements=pa:77130&phrase=parental%20leave&sort=best#license">Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Parents with employment gaps perceived as unemployable</h2>
<p>In the <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/wss5qdJRASWnqYiQiBpp/full">first study</a>, I examined how employers perceive an employment gap and if these perceptions are different if the lapse resulted from childcare responsibilities rather than unemployment from a job loss.</p>
<p>I created fictitious resumes for three kinds of job-seekers: continuously employed, unemployed and stay-at-home parents. I used names to signal gender, and the application materials indicate that each of the applicants was a parent.</p>
<p>Importantly, all other skills and features of the resumes were similar across applicants, and both unemployed and stay-at-home parents were out of work for 18 months. I then sent 3,374 of these fictitious resumes to real job openings across 50 cities in the U.S. and recorded when applicants received a “callback” from employers, an interview request or other positive response.</p>
<p>I found that 15.2% of employed applicants, 9.3% of unemployed applicants and just 5.1% of stay-at-home parents received a callback.</p>
<p>In other words, both unemployed and stay-at-home parent applicants faced callback penalties compared with applicants with no employment gaps, but stay-at-home parents faced a much larger penalty. I found similar effects for both mothers and fathers.</p>
<p><iframe id="Tj9sd" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Tj9sd/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>To understand why employers viewed stay-at-home parent job applicants negatively, I conducted a survey. The respondents viewed resumes that were similar to those sent to real employers.</p>
<p>Many survey respondents perceived both unemployed and stay-at-home parent applicants to be less capable than continuously employed applicants, which makes sense if there are concerns about these applicants’ skills becoming rusty while not working.</p>
<p>I also found that respondents viewed stay-at-home parents as less reliable, less deserving of a job and – the biggest penalty – less committed to work, compared with unemployed applicants.</p>
<p>These findings are consistent with employers’ tendency to view stay-at-home parents as not dedicated to work, perceiving them as violating professional expectations that employees should prioritize work over other areas of life – what sociologists call “<a href="https://hbr.org/product/updating-the-image-of-the-ideal-worker/ROT345-PDF-ENG">ideal worker norms</a>.”</p>
<h2>Wage gaps for nonsteady employment</h2>
<p>In the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-019-00845-8">second study</a>, we looked at the common employment trajectories that men and women follow from ages 22 to 50 using <a href="https://www.bls.gov/nls/nlsy79.htm">national data</a> on the work histories of about 6,000 individuals.</p>
<p>While many people are employed steadily throughout their careers, we found that a substantial group of people – about 32% – have low work attachment at the beginning, middle or end of their careers or frequent gaps and reductions in employment at multiple points in their careers.</p>
<p>We also found that gender, race, ethnicity and social class background are associated with these more intermittent trajectories.</p>
<p>Next, we looked at whether and how these long-term career trajectories influence wages later in life, at ages 45 to 50. We found that compared with those who work continuously, employment paths with the most gaps experience up to 40% lower wages later in life.</p>
<p>These paths are the ones most commonly associated with women and mothers taking time out of work for family reasons.</p>
<h2>Family leave and transitioning back to work</h2>
<p>So why is it important to know what happens to people after they experience employment gaps for family and other reasons?</p>
<p>This research shows that employment gaps can compound already existing inequality in the labor market, particularly for women and mothers compared with men and fathers.</p>
<p>The lack of accommodating work policies for parents and affordable childcare can lead to an <a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12013">all-or-nothing work environment</a>.</p>
<p>In this environment, gender inequality in caregiving is not the only issue. There are additional burdens to overcome for those who want to <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520290808/opting-back-in">return to work after a family-related employment lapse</a>.</p>
<p>Of course, paid family leave and affordable child care won’t solve all of the problems with gender, family and work inequality. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/centers/cwf/research/publications/researchreports/Expanded%20Paid%20Parental%20Leave-%20Study%20Findings%20FINAL%2010-31-19.pdf">recent study</a> found that while new parent employees were hugely appreciative of extended family leave offered at their companies, they still found the transition back to work to be challenging.</p>
<p>But in my assessment, access to paid family leave and affordable child care are two policies that could have a <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2019/06/27/paid-leave-as-fuel-for-economic-growth/">transformative effect</a> on gender inequality in the labor market and help reduce the <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691178851/making-motherhood-work">many burdens</a> faced by working parents.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/130501/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kate Weisshaar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Stay-at-home parents have a hard time reentering the workforce after spending time away.Kate Weisshaar, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1296682020-01-14T13:48:12Z2020-01-14T13:48:12ZParental leave laws are failing single parents<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309316/original/file-20200109-80111-wqe52z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Single-parent families are getting less paid leave but perhaps need more of it.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/motherhood-career-employment-concept-casually-dressed-1124616194">shurkin_son/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The two parties in Congress don’t agree on much these days. However, in the final days of December, they struck a deal that will give about 2 million <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/12/11/21004707/paid-parental-leave-federal-workers-space-force">federal workers</a> paid time off following the birth of a baby, an adoption or the arrival of a foster child in their home.</p>
<p>A growing number of <a href="https://www.abetterbalance.org/resources/paid-family-leave-laws-chart/">states</a> have passed similar laws. These new measures are aimed at addressing a major gap in American workplace policy. The United States is the <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/paid-family-and-medical-leave-an-issue-whose-time-has-come/">only developed country</a> that fails to guarantee paid parental leave to workers generally.</p>
<p>As an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lp6kuV0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">expert</a> on the laws and policies that govern employment and families, I’ve <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3505553">studied</a> parental leave laws around the world. In my view, the new U.S. laws are an important step forward, but I think they treat single-parent families unfairly.</p>
<h2>Promoting gender equality</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ilo.org/global/publications/ilo-bookstore/order-online/books/WCMS_242615/lang--en/index.htm">Most other countries</a> have separate paid maternity and paternity leave guarantees, with mothers receiving much more time than fathers. Some countries supplement this structure with a gender-neutral paid parental leave, often awarded on a family basis. In general, <a href="https://www.oecd.org/policy-briefs/parental-leave-where-are-the-fathers.pdf">women</a> use most of such shared leave. To encourage men to take more time, a few countries, including <a href="https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/annual_reviews/2019/Sweden_2019_0824.pdf">Sweden</a> and <a href="https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/annual_reviews/2019/Iceland_2019_0824.pdf">Iceland</a>, make a portion of parental leave usable only by fathers.</p>
<p>The U.S. model is very different.</p>
<p>The federal and state leave laws provide each parent an equal and individual right to time off. For example, when the policy covering <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/benefits/2020/01/not-all-federal-employees-are-covered-under-the-new-paid-parental-leave-law-at-least-not-yet/">most</a> <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/budget/2019/12/trump-signs-shutdown-averting-spending-bills-makes-federal-pay-raise-law/">federal workers</a> is implemented, moms will get 12 weeks of paid leave, and so will dads. Both members of a same-sex couple will be able to take time off, so long as each is recognized as a parent. </p>
<p><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3505553">Early evidence</a> from states that have implemented paid leave laws suggests that fathers are taking advantage of the opportunity. In <a href="https://www.edd.ca.gov/pdf_pub_ctr/de2530.pdf">California</a> and <a href="http://www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi/pdf/tdi/2018.pdf">Rhode Island</a>, men account for almost 40% of parental leave claims. This rate is far above the average for industrialized countries of <a href="https://www.oecd.org/els/family/PF2-2-Use-childbirth-leave.pdf">18%</a>, and very close to that of international leaders. </p>
<p>There are documented benefits to encouraging fathers to take time off with a new baby. Studies of <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/fathers-leave-fathers-involvement-and-child-development_5k4dlw9w6czq-en">men who take parental leave</a> suggest that those dads will be more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12494">engaged parents</a> months, or even years, later. Having more men take leave can also <a href="https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OASP/legacy/files/PaternityBrief.pdf">promote equality at work</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2011.06.011">home</a> more generally. </p>
<p><iframe id="MeC6a" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/MeC6a/8/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Half as much</h2>
<p>The U.S. structure, however, disadvantages single-parent families, as they can claim only half as much leave as a two-parent family. This is a significant problem because about <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf">40% of U.S. births are to unmarried parents</a>.</p>
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<p>For some <a href="https://www.childtrends.org/publications/dramatic-increase-in-percentage-of-births-outside-marriage-among-whites-hispanics-and-women-with-higher-education-levels">racial and ethnic groups</a>, the numbers are even higher. </p>
<p><iframe id="1P9fB" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/1P9fB/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>There are also large disparities on the basis of <a href="https://www.childtrends.org/publications/dramatic-increase-in-percentage-of-births-outside-marriage-among-whites-hispanics-and-women-with-higher-education-levels">education</a> and <a href="https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2013/acs/acs-21.pdf">income</a>. In short, highly educated and relatively affluent adults tend to marry before they have children. Less affluent and less educated adults are more likely to have children outside of marriage. </p>
<p>Where unmarried parents are <a href="https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/04/25/the-changing-profile-of-unmarried-parents/">living together</a>, or otherwise both involved in child care, it makes sense that each should be able to take parental leave. But many single parents, disproportionately <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/2018/single-parent.html">women</a>, raise children on their own, even from birth. </p>
<h2>A better model</h2>
<p>Other countries that set aside parental leave time for each parent address this issue by having special rules that apply to parents with sole custody. For example, in <a href="https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/annual_reviews/2019/Iceland_2019_0824.pdf">Iceland</a>, generally moms get three months of leave, dads get three months, and either parent can use an additional three months. Single parents, however, can use the full nine months.</p>
<p>U.S. laws could be made more equitable by allowing single parents to take an extended leave, or to share benefits with a different family member – like the baby’s grandparent. As the cost of benefits would be spread through the <a href="https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/key_workplace/2107/">tax system</a>, this would not place an extra burden on individual employers. </p>
<p>Without this change, laws designed to promote labor rights and sex equality within families will likely continue to have the unintended consequence of causing inequality between families.</p>
<p>[ <em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129668/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Widiss received funding from the Australian-American Fulbright Commission for research on parental leave policies. She serves as an unpaid consultant for the Indiana Institute for Working Families; she has advised the organization on legal issues related to the gender wage gap and job protections for pregnant workers.</span></em></p>Forty percent of US babies are born to unmarried parents. But the new paid leave policy for most federal workers disadvantages single parents.Deborah Widiss, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs; Professor of Law and Ira C. Batman Faculty Fellow, Indiana UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1269882019-11-18T11:05:56Z2019-11-18T11:05:56ZUK election 2019: what the parties say on parental leave and childcare<p>Both Labour and the Liberal Democrat parties have put forward policies to help new parents. They go further than the current Conservative system but would leave the UK lagging behind many of its international peers when it comes to supporting new parents.</p>
<p>When people have children, they (though it is predominantly mothers) must decide if and when to return to work, and for how many hours. Their decisions are <a href="https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdf/10.1257/app.20160195">influenced by many factors</a>, including household income, education and social norms. Policy plays a role too. It affects the affordability of taking leave, by setting maternity and paternity leave policies, and influences the availability and quality of childcare.</p>
<p>Developed countries have seen huge rises in standards of living since the 1970s. Around 40% of this increase is down <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.3982/ECTA8803">to the increase in women working</a>. So it’s good for the whole economy if women work and produce, or innovate, earn taxes and spend their wages. And <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.3.2.97">research shows</a> that providing high-quality, subsidised childcare leads to better outcomes for children in the long run, such as more education and less dependency on welfare.</p>
<p>If parents want to work in the years before their child starts school, the important policies are paid leave and subsidised childcare.</p>
<h2>Existing polices</h2>
<p>While the UK is relatively generous in offering pregnant employees the right to 52 weeks of maternity leave, it falls short on the provision of paid leave. The country comes second last out of OECD countries (loosely defined as developed or richer countries) when it comes to paying women on maternity leave. And fathers receive just two weeks of paid leave, below the OECD average of eight weeks.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301797/original/file-20191114-26259-3lrvm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301797/original/file-20191114-26259-3lrvm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301797/original/file-20191114-26259-3lrvm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301797/original/file-20191114-26259-3lrvm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301797/original/file-20191114-26259-3lrvm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301797/original/file-20191114-26259-3lrvm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301797/original/file-20191114-26259-3lrvm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301797/original/file-20191114-26259-3lrvm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Proportion of earnings replaced by maternity benefits.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.oecd.org/els/family/PF2_4_Parental_leave_replacement_rates.pdf">OECD</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This means that households are forced to trade the benefit of income against time spent with young children. It also means the uptake of leave by dads is very low. Only <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/tuc-calls-overhaul-shared-parental-leave">1% of eligible parents</a> use “shared parental leave” which allows partners to take some of the 52 weeks from the mother.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301813/original/file-20191114-26202-ejf335.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301813/original/file-20191114-26202-ejf335.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301813/original/file-20191114-26202-ejf335.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301813/original/file-20191114-26202-ejf335.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301813/original/file-20191114-26202-ejf335.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301813/original/file-20191114-26202-ejf335.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301813/original/file-20191114-26202-ejf335.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301813/original/file-20191114-26202-ejf335.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=FAMILY">Data: OECD Family database</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The UK has seen large increases in childcare subsidies for children before school starting age. The <a href="https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/articles/free-childcare-for-children-aged-two-three-and-four/">current system</a> pays for 15 hours of childcare a week for all three- and four-year-olds, with an extra 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds of working parents (subject to a maximum earnings threshold), and 15 free hours for two-year-olds in low-income families.</p>
<p>But a big problem with UK policy is that a number of childcare centres are currently underfunded. Childcare charity Early Years Alliance reports that many providers, predominantly in disadvantaged areas, face closure <a href="https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/news/2019/06/early-years-funding-crisis-hits-poorest-children">and 43% have cut back on learning resources</a>.</p>
<p>So when looking at political parties’ pre-school policies, it’s important to understand whether they will close the current funding gap.</p>
<h2>How they stack up</h2>
<p>The Liberal Democrat party <a href="https://www.libdems.org.uk/free-childcare-announcement">promises</a>: </p>
<ul>
<li>35 hours a week free childcare from nine months to school starting age. The party says: “This will close the gap between the end of paid parental leave and the start of free childcare provision.” </li>
<li>An increase in funding for childcare providers to £7.22 per hour for two-year-olds and £5.36 per hour for three- and four-year-olds. </li>
<li>Nothing new in the way of parental leave policies.</li>
</ul>
<p>Labour <a href="https://labour.org.uk/press/labour-launches-major-package-of-reforms-to-deliver-a-workplace-revolution-for-women/">promises</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>30 hours a week free childcare for every child from the age of two for all parents, not just those on low income.<br></li>
<li>Paid parental leave <a href="https://theconversation.com/labours-maternity-leave-boost-is-a-major-step-forward-but-it-wont-do-anything-for-gender-equality-126709">for a full year</a> for mothers or partners instead of the current nine months, paid at the statutory rate (currently £148.68 a week or 90% of earnings, whichever is lower). </li>
<li>All employees able to work flexibly.</li>
<li>Increasing the minimum wage, which ensures a higher wage for childcare workers.</li>
<li>A Sure Start children’s centre in every community, an increase of 1,000.</li>
</ul>
<p>Both parties suggest they will work to close the gap in childcare provision funding, but the details are unclear here.</p>
<p>Despite these promises, no parties suggest the UK follows trends in countries like Norway, Sweden and others that offer parental leave at full pay. Yet there is evidence that families <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001429211630071X">are vulnerable to unexpected events</a> when mothers are on unpaid leave.</p>
<p>Expanding paid leave from the current offer, which equates to about 12 weeks of average full-time pay, to more like 20 weeks would raise the income <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927537109000785">and career prospects of mothers</a>. But there is very little evidence that it would improve child outcomes.</p>
<h2>Get dads involved</h2>
<p>Paid paternity leave has not yet been mentioned by any party even though it could help families and reduce the gender pay gap. A big difference in wages for women versus men is due to women <a href="https://theconversation.com/through-the-looking-glass-on-gender-pay-gap-transparency-54989">not reaching senior positions</a>, which is due in part to the fact that children are predominantly cared for by mothers, both immediately after having children <a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxnaGF6YWxhYXptYXR8Z3g6MjRmYjMxZjlmOTE2YmQyYg">and in the years that follow</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301953/original/file-20191115-66937-1e3aiqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301953/original/file-20191115-66937-1e3aiqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301953/original/file-20191115-66937-1e3aiqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301953/original/file-20191115-66937-1e3aiqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301953/original/file-20191115-66937-1e3aiqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301953/original/file-20191115-66937-1e3aiqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301953/original/file-20191115-66937-1e3aiqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dads need better paternity leave.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/midsection-father-carrying-baby-while-holding-398289151">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Very few fathers take more than the statutory two weeks of paid leave in the UK. This is because, with mothers on average younger and earning less than fathers, it makes financial sense for the mothers to take more leave. So giving fathers leave at full pay is crucial to encouraging more of them to take time off. Other countries have created other incentives, such as Norway’s <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w18198.pdf?new_window=1">successful policy</a> of paid leave that can only be taken by dads.</p>
<p>There is some good news. Big firms in the UK are increasingly announcing generous paid parental leave to be taken by either parent of a new born. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/nov/24/aviva-offers-equal-paid-parental-leave-to-male-and-female-staff">In some cases</a>, up to six months on full pay is offered. For men working in these firms, this essentially offers a use it or lose it policy similar to Norway’s and may have an impact. If the political parties won’t offer it, at least companies are starting to realise the benefits of looking after their employees.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/300094/original/file-20191104-88372-xpdf2e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/300094/original/file-20191104-88372-xpdf2e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/300094/original/file-20191104-88372-xpdf2e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/300094/original/file-20191104-88372-xpdf2e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/300094/original/file-20191104-88372-xpdf2e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/300094/original/file-20191104-88372-xpdf2e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/300094/original/file-20191104-88372-xpdf2e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/the-daily-newsletter-2?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKGE2019&utm_content=GEBannerA">Click here to subscribe to our newsletter if you believe this election should be all about the facts.</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126988/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Tominey receives funding from The British Academy and the Economic and Social Research Council. </span></em></p>Labour and the Liberal Democrats go further than the current system but would still leave the UK lagging behind many of its international peers.Emma Tominey, Professor of Economics, University of YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1267092019-11-12T12:03:20Z2019-11-12T12:03:20ZLabour’s maternity leave boost is a major step forward, but it won’t do anything for gender equality<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301123/original/file-20191111-194628-fv7clv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C41%2C5521%2C3650&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-holding-baby-while-sitting-on-fur-bean-bag-698878/">Pexels</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Mothers will be given maternity pay for a full year after the birth of their children under a package of new measures <a href="https://labour.org.uk/press/labour-launches-major-package-of-reforms-to-deliver-a-workplace-revolution-for-women/">announced by Labour</a>. The proposals that aim to change the way women are treated at work would involve an increase in <a href="https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave">statutory maternity pay</a> – from nine to 12 months. This would allow all working mothers or parents to spend a full year with their new-born babies before going back to work.</p>
<p>Mothers are currently allowed up to 52 weeks maternity leave – but are only paid for nine of them. The first six weeks is paid at 90% of the woman’s average weekly earnings before tax. The remaining 33 weeks is paid at £148.68 per week or 90% of their average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. </p>
<p>Under the current system, mothers going on maternity leave are faced with the challenge of low maternity pay, <a href="https://www.workingmums.co.uk/workingmums-annual-survey-2017/">expensive childcare</a> and <a href="https://www.personneltoday.com/pr/2018/11/more-than-90-of-maternity-returners-say-they-get-no-support-at-work-when-they-go-back-reveals-mmb-survey/">lack of support on their return to work</a>, so it’s great that the Labour party recognises and plans to resolve the discrimination women face in the workplace. But, as it stands, Labour’s plan of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50338831">extending maternity leave pay for another three months</a> at the statutory rate doesn’t do enough to address gender inequality – at both work and home.</p>
<h2>Maternity discrimination</h2>
<p>Women have suffered various forms of maternity discrimination in the UK over the years, such as <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/women-and-equalities/Correspondence/Consultation-response-1-5-19.pdf">redundancy</a>, <a href="https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-work/news/pregnancy-and-maternity-discrimination-forces-thousands-new-mothers-out-their-jobs">loss of job</a>, and being <a href="https://www.thejournal.ie/maternity-leave-discrimination-2172443-Jun2015/">overlooked for promotions</a>. And many UK employers see pregnancy as an <a href="https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-work/news/employers-dark-ages-over-recruitment-pregnant-women-and-new-mothers">unnecessary burden</a> in the workplace – with little incentive for employers to support pregnant women, or women going on maternity leave.</p>
<p>Indeed, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50338831">Labour’s maternity proposal</a> highlights how slow and late the UK is compared to other <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0958928709352541">countries</a> in making family-friendly policies that foster equality at home and in the workplace. And, even now, this extension of maternity pay, still falls short. This is because it endorses the <a href="https://www.myfamilycare.co.uk/resources/news/shared-parental-leave-two-years-on/">cultural perception of fathers being the breadwinners</a> of the family and mothers the caregivers – highlighting the fact that women in the UK are not considered contributors to the labour market in the same way as men.</p>
<p>The proposal also fails to recognise the importance of a father’s involvement in parenting. This is despite increasing numbers of dads sharing parenting responsibilities and the <a href="http://www.modernfatherhood.org/">breadwinner role</a> in modern families. </p>
<p>Labours proposal also seem to ignore the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=DELSA/ELSA/WD/SEM(2012)11&docLanguage=En">benefits</a> of dads involvement in the care of their children. This is despite the fact that research has shown that having two parents involved in parenting from a young age is more beneficial for the child – and the couple. </p>
<h2>Lessons from Sweden</h2>
<p>In this sense then, Labour’s proposal can be considered a missed opportunity to bring the UK in line with other countries that have better policies on gender equality. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2019/635586/EPRS_ATA(2019)635586_EN.pdf">Sweden, for example, is ranked</a> the best place in the world to raise a family because of its generous parental leave policy. Reduced working hours for parents with young children, high-quality childcare and extensive out-of-school-hours care at a low prices are just some of the benefits available in <a href="https://www.oecd.org/els/family/swedenssupportforparentswithchildreniscomprehensiveandeffectivebutexpensive.htm">family-friendly Sweden</a>.</p>
<p>For more than 40 years, Sweden has recognised that mothers and fathers should have <a href="http://www.oecd.org/fr/els/famille/swedenssupportforparentswithchildreniscomprehensiveandeffectivebutexpensive.htm">equal parenting roles</a> – and policies aim to balance gender equality at home and in the workplace. The government gives each parent 240 days paid leave at about 80% of their salary – plus bonus days in cases of twins. Of that leave, 90 days are reserved for each parent and are non-transferable – making Sweden the country with the <a href="https://www.thelocal.se/20190614/sweden-ranked-among-worlds-best-places-raise-a-family-unicef-report">the highest amount of leave reserved for dads</a>. </p>
<p>The 480 days in total does not expire until the child is eight years old. And the generous family-friendly policies also have a positive impact on breastfeeding rates. Sweden has one of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk-has-one-of-the-lowest-breastfeeding-rates-in-the-world-heres-how-to-change-this-126238">highest breastfeeding rates</a> in the world – unlike the <a href="https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13006-019-0230-0">UK, which has one of the lowest</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301124/original/file-20191111-194646-d28m5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301124/original/file-20191111-194646-d28m5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301124/original/file-20191111-194646-d28m5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301124/original/file-20191111-194646-d28m5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301124/original/file-20191111-194646-d28m5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301124/original/file-20191111-194646-d28m5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301124/original/file-20191111-194646-d28m5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Do it like the Swedes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/success?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.shutterstock.com%2Fgatekeeper%2FW3siZSI6MTU3MzUxMjM3MiwiYyI6Il9waG90b19zZXNzaW9uX2lkIiwiZGMiOiJpZGxfMTExMDM2OTI0OCIsImsiOiJwaG90by8xMTEwMzY5MjQ4L2h1Z2UuanBnIiwibSI6MSwiZCI6InNodXR0ZXJzdG9jay1tZWRpYSJ9LCJYQ01Da2J6UlVTSGRkZWgwVDdrR3poSVB1clUiXQ%2Fshutterstock_1110369248.jpg&pi=33421636&m=1110369248&src=ee9d7779-7f60-4a86-b206-e244e9c750a5-1-19">Shutterstock/PERO studio</a></span>
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<p>So for Labour to really make a difference to gender equality and “the way women are treated at work” the rate of maternity pay also needs to be increased – because well-paid parental leave is associated with improved female retention, higher female employment, less gender stereotyping at work and <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/03ecde34-85e1-11e9-a028-86cea8523dc2">lower gender pay gaps</a>. </p>
<p>Paternity leave duration should be increased to at least 12 weeks and the pay increased – in line with what’s on offer for mothers. And shared parental leave pay must also be boosted to further encourage dads’ involvements in parental responsibilities. This is important, because ultimately, the more dads get involved in parenting, the more gender stereotypes will reduce.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/300096/original/file-20191104-88414-1yh2yvf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/300096/original/file-20191104-88414-1yh2yvf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/300096/original/file-20191104-88414-1yh2yvf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/300096/original/file-20191104-88414-1yh2yvf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/300096/original/file-20191104-88414-1yh2yvf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/300096/original/file-20191104-88414-1yh2yvf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/300096/original/file-20191104-88414-1yh2yvf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/the-daily-newsletter-2?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKGE2019&utm_content=GEBannerB">Click here to subscribe to our newsletter if you believe this election should be all about the facts.</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126709/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ernestine Gheyoh Ndzi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What about the dads?Ernestine Gheyoh Ndzi, Senior Lecturer, Law Department, York St John UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1255142019-10-23T13:13:49Z2019-10-23T13:13:49ZSporting dads: male athletes need family-friendly policies too<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298286/original/file-20191023-119419-1vpjzhw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C0%2C850%2C420&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Joe Denly, left, was hailed for taking time out to attend the birth of his child. Anthony Martial, right, was fined.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Egerton/PA Wire/PA Images and EPA-EFE/Peter Powell</span>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There was a quietly heartwarming moment in this year’s Ashes series, amid all the passion and rivalry that always characterises the England cricket team’s biannual tussle with their bitter rivals from Australia. Batter Joe Denly, a recent recruit to the England ranks, left the field at the end of the first of the five days of the final Test match at the Oval in London and drove 60 miles to <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/oval-diary-joe-denlys-maternity-ward-dash-8lp7cr5fr">be with his wife for the birth of their daughter</a>. </p>
<p>The next day, tired but happy, Denly was back on the field by 6pm facing the Australian bowlers. He made his highest score to date, only narrowly missing out on a coveted Test century.</p>
<p>“It has been incredible,” <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/49704204">Denly told reporters</a>. “It would have been even more amazing if I had managed to get to that hundred mark, but yes, over the moon.”</p>
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<p>Denly’s parenting experience was better by far than that of Manchester United’s French superstar Anthony Martial, who was fined £180,000 and publicly shamed in 2018 for missing a week of training after flying from a pre-season training camp in America to Paris so that he could <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/aug/01/manchester-uniteds-anthony-martial-to-return-to-training-after-birth-of-child">support his wife through a difficult labour</a>, and welcome his son into the world. Two of the days he was away were devoted to travel alone.</p>
<p>A week away from work to be with your wife and newborn child may seem little for most occupations, but not in sport. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1023590369353773056"}"></div></p>
<p>This is the type of sacrifice we expect from professional athletes. Sport proffers the idea that winners never quit and quitters never win. Sporting success is valued more than family. </p>
<p>It is an ethos so entrenched in the history of professional men’s sport that in the 1990s, baseball player Billy Bean even <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/business/2019/10/ex-mlb-player-billy-bean-shares-his-struggle-with-discrimination-in-the-workplace-on-national-coming-out-day.html">missed his partner’s funeral</a> in order to play a game.</p>
<h2>Women’s sport leading the way</h2>
<p>So it’s good to see that Australian cricket recently announced a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/oct/11/cricket-australia-reveals-ground-breaking-parental-leave-policy-for-players">game-changing</a>” policy to provide parental leave for female cricketers. The policy will allow pregnant players to take up non-playing roles on full pay until their child’s birth and then to take up to 12 months of paid parental leave after. This guaranteed contract extension means that it is now easier for female cricketers to combine professional sport with raising a family.</p>
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<p>The policy also permits players three weeks of paid leave if their partner gives birth to a child or if they adopt a child. These policies make Australian cricket among the most family-centred employers within all western cultures.</p>
<p>More so, time away from sport for the sake of family is valued. Instead of managers castigating players the way Jose Mourinho, Martial’s manager at Manchester United castigated his star player, Clea Smith, the general manager of member programs at the Australian Cricketers’ Association said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The policy is designed to keep female players in the game for longer which will have a positive impact at all levels of the game.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Female tennis players are now afforded <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/dec/13/wta-protected-rankings-tennis-motherhood-tennis-serena-williams">greater rights and protections</a> on their return to the sport following maternity leave. Similarly, Nike will no longer financially penalise athletes due to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/nike-pregnant-athletes-performance-related-pay-cuts-pregnant-alysia-montano-a8913081.html">pregnancy and maternity absences from sport</a>. </p>
<h2>The lack of paternity leave</h2>
<p>The question is: why are professional male athletes, who reside within one of the most lucrative business structures in modern culture, denied “sufficient” paternal leave and castigated when they do take leave? Part of the answer concerns owner and manager greed. But the masculine value of sacrifice also reflects an ethos from which the very basis of elite sport developed.</p>
<p>In the 20th century, competitive team sports were used as a socialising agent to teach boys that there is masculine value in sacrificing the body for the sake of breadwinning and soldiering. Sport has gone a very long way in uncoupling itself from this macho idea with the introduction of <a href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/the-ashes/the-problem-with-this-heroic-ashes-moment-by-steve-smith/news-story/131baca3d5b9a91a1a6c40b78a2469be">concussion substitutes</a> in cricket and punishments for on- and <a href="https://theconversation.com/rugby-league-may-finally-have-reached-its-tipping-point-on-player-behaviour-and-violence-111421">off-field violence</a> in many sports. But men are still expected to sacrifice their family commitments in the pursuit of sporting success.</p>
<p>This type of sacrifice will one day be relegated to the dustbin of history. Fathers are increasingly placing their <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49564467">own and their family’s emotional needs</a> first. If a sportsman is financially capable of taking time away from work – which an increasing number of elite athletes are – you’d expect that, given the way attitudes to masculinity are changing, they will. Or, as Martial rightly stated: “I will always put my family first.”</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1024695368917942272"}"></div></p>
<p>Most men today would find taking only one week of paternal leave from work insufficient. We therefore suspect that professional athletes will push for more. We also suspect that owners of sports teams will continue to resist, preferring profit over players’ welfare. To this end, it’s vital for the media to stop accentuating this idea of sacrifice and instead to frame athletes as superheroes precisely because they put their families first.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125514/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Men are still expected to prioritise sport over their families.Keith Parry, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, University of WinchesterEric Anderson, Professor of Masculinities, Sexualities and Sport, University of WinchesterJohn Batten, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, University of WinchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1200562019-07-17T10:48:51Z2019-07-17T10:48:51ZNew paternity leave proposals to exclude high earners could be a step backwards for gender equality<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284080/original/file-20190715-173351-vz1026.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A father’s role may have shifted massively in recent decades – from being seen as the main <a href="https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195313895.001.0001/acprof-9780195313895-chapter-6">breadwinner or money earner</a> in a household, to being a more active participant in family life. Yet, less than one in three new fathers in the UK currently <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/paternity-leave-new-fathers-less-third-not-taking-a8992086.html">take paternity leave</a>. </p>
<p>This is despite the fact that dads today <a href="https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/UK_MFI_2018_Long_Report_A4_UK.pdf">want to take a more active role</a> in family life. Indeed, many dads say they would consider <a href="https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/UK_MFI_2018_Long_Report_A4_UK.pdf">childcare as a key point when taking up a new job</a>. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=DELSA/ELSA/WD/SEM(2012)11&docLanguage=En">Research</a> clearly demonstrates the benefits of new dads taking <a href="https://www.gov.uk/paternity-pay-leave">parental leave</a>, including <a href="http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Cash-and-carry-Full-Report-PDF.pdf">positive impacts</a> on the cognitive outcomes for children and improvements in the quality of a couple’s relationship. So why the disconnect?</p>
<p>One of the big reasons uptake of paternity leave has been so low is <a href="https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/101755">because of the pay</a>. Under the current system, dads get two weeks paternity leave paid at a statutory rate which is just shy of £150 a week. Some employers enhance this pay but it’s not mandatory. And many dads do not take advantage of this leave because of the financial implications on household budgets. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284081/original/file-20190715-173329-1dah772.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284081/original/file-20190715-173329-1dah772.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284081/original/file-20190715-173329-1dah772.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284081/original/file-20190715-173329-1dah772.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284081/original/file-20190715-173329-1dah772.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284081/original/file-20190715-173329-1dah772.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284081/original/file-20190715-173329-1dah772.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Policies should be geared towards encouraging dads’ involvement in childcare.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Families can also choose for both parents to share leave. Shared parental leave, which was introduced in 2015, allows dads to take more than two weeks and parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave (37 weeks of which is paid) if they meet certain eligibility criteria. But again, uptake has been minimal – thought to be a low as 2%. And one of the key reasons for this is the <a href="http://researchprofiles.herts.ac.uk/portal/files/14846678/SPL_Report.pdf">financial implications</a> as it can leave many families out of pocket.</p>
<p>Indeed, analysis indicates that <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/work-salary/news/not-so-shared-parenting-families-lose-10000-stay-at-home-dad/">parental leave arrangements skew families’ finances</a> in favour of new dads returning to work – even when both parents earn the same. And research shows that there would’ve been a better uptake of <a href="https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/shared-parental-leave-videos/">paternity leave and shared parental leave</a> if new dads were paid properly.</p>
<p><a href="http://researchprofiles.herts.ac.uk/portal/en/projects/challenges-to-shared-parental-leave(58b9f645-1317-47d0-b06f-3f04bb3b26e6).html">My research</a> also suggests some employers have failed to embrace and <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-wonder-dads-arent-taking-shared-parental-leave-most-employers-have-failed-to-embrace-it-104290">normalise shared parental leave</a> in the workplace, meaning that new fathers are less likely to consider taking it.</p>
<h2>Entrenching inequalities</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/theresa-may-wants-new-fathers-to-get-12-weeks-paid-paternity-leave-6gstvc7mb">Theresa May’s recent proposal</a> to give men four weeks of paternity leave paid at 90% of their monthly salary and a further eight weeks to be paid at the statutory rate of £148.68 might sound like a step in the right direction.</p>
<p>But while the proposed paternity leave would be greatly welcomed by many new fathers, under the proposals high earning dads – those on more than £100,000 a year – wouldn’t be <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/theresa-may-urged-to-bar-high-earners-from-extended-paternity-leave-bh7ffrs9k">able to access the longer leave</a> time. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284082/original/file-20190715-173342-qu0eoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284082/original/file-20190715-173342-qu0eoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284082/original/file-20190715-173342-qu0eoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284082/original/file-20190715-173342-qu0eoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284082/original/file-20190715-173342-qu0eoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284082/original/file-20190715-173342-qu0eoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284082/original/file-20190715-173342-qu0eoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The new proposals suggest that money could take the place of a dad in a child’s life.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is concerning and has the potential to take the progress on gender equality several steps back if high earning dads are to be excluded from benefiting from paid parental leave. This is because the proposal overlooks the fact that high earners are disproportionately men and barring them would entrench the inequalities that investments in childcare are supposed to resolve. </p>
<p>Indeed, last year, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/mar/20/mps-call-for-12-weeks-of-paternity-leave-to-address-gender-pay-gap">MPs called for 12 weeks paternity leave</a> as a solution to address the gender pay gap problem – acknowledging that gender equality and the gender pay gap problem can only be resolved if dad’s involvement in <a href="https://www.marketingweek.com/parental-leave-not-womens-only-issue/">family life is improved</a>. </p>
<h2>Redefining gender stereotypes</h2>
<p>So although the proposed paternity leave would be better paid in the first four weeks and has the potential to ameliorate some of the problems of shared parental leave – such as dads not qualifying for shared parental leave because they have not worked for their <a href="https://www.workingdads.co.uk/tuc-demands-fundamental-overhaul-shared-parental-leave/">employer for long enough</a> – in the long-term, such changes could actually do more harm than good. </p>
<p>The paternity leave proposal could also mean that shared parental leave would be replaced by the new system. All of which would promote the unacceptable position of dads being breadwinners and mothers caregivers – a position 21st-century dads (and mums) are working hard to change.</p>
<p>It is vital, then, that these proposals are reconsidered and that paternity leave is made available to all working dads irrespective of their earnings. This is important as <a href="http://fathers.com/s5-your-situation/c17-at-home-dad/dads-childcare-and-changing-the-stereotypes/">gender stereotypes and societal perceptions</a> of dads who take on a caring role will only change if everyone has a stake in childcare.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120056/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ernestine Gheyoh Ndzi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Excluding high earning dads from paid parental leave is not the answer.Ernestine Gheyoh Ndzi, Senior Lecturer and Cohort Tutor, Hertfordshire Law School, University of HertfordshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1187372019-06-13T21:36:15Z2019-06-13T21:36:15ZHow one province got 80 per cent of fathers to take paternity leave<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279440/original/file-20190613-32342-1py6sdl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C376%2C4874%2C3145&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Québec's insurance plan which gives fathers options to take parental leave has had a major impact on fatherhood. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Peter Dlhy /Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Québec’s provincial insurance plan that provides fathers with paternity leave has had a major impact on fatherhood. </p>
<p>Until 2006, only one in five Québec fathers took a few days of parental leave, compared with <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-008-x/2012002/article/11697-eng.htm">10 to 15 per cent of Canadian fathers outside the province</a>. Today, 80 per cent of Québec dads stop working when a child arrives so they can help care for their little one for several weeks. </p>
<p>That’s because the <a href="https://www.rqap.gouv.qc.ca/en">Québec Parental Insurance Plan</a> (QPIP) replaced Canadian parental leave in the province in 2006 and it has had a major impact on new fathers. It introduced paternity leave reserved for them alone, and not transferable to the mother.</p>
<p>Québec fathers quickly took advantage of this. The leave is three to five weeks (better paid in the first case because it is shorter). Three-quarters take the five-week leave, and some extend it by taking part of the one-year parental leave, <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/lectures/17793">which can be shared with the mother</a>.</p>
<p>For the past two decades, I <a href="http://benhur.teluq.uquebec.ca/SPIP/aruc/IMG/pdf/ERRJ_tremblay_genin_final.pdf">have been conducting research with colleagues on work-life balance, or work vs. personal-family life</a>. Initially, it focused on work-life conflicts and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09585192.2016.1239216">how it could create tensions</a>. </p>
<p>Then I became interested in the measures that companies have put in place to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13668803.2018.1527756?journalCode=ccwf20">facilitate the integration between the various spheres of life</a>. Through the research, I have found that a favourable organizational climate must exist for employees to demand and benefit from existing integration measures. Also, our studies have shown that the support of the spouse, when there is one, is the determining factor in facilitating work-life balance.</p>
<h2>Big changes</h2>
<p>The QPIP has introduced major innovations in the workplace. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09695958.2018.1456435">In the early 2000s, fathers were reluctant to take parental leave, even though they could share Canadian leave with the mother</a>. But since 2006, with the QPIP, <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-001-x/2008106/t/10639/5203763-eng.htm">fathers take a break more easily and feel more legitimate in doing so.</a></p>
<p>Certainly, it is mainly women who take most of the parental leave, especially in traditionally female sectors. They take an average of <a href="http://www.cgap.gouv.qc.ca/publications/pdf/cgap_rag_2014.pdf">29 weeks off</a>.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the change is undeniable, as we have seen with the figures mentioned above. Of the 80 per cent of fathers who take the parental leave which is strictly for them, about <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235293321_Parental_leave_from_perception_to_first-hand_experience">one-third also take weeks of parental leave, which they can share with the mother</a>. Thus, they currently enjoy an average of seven weeks off although those taking paternity leave and part of the parental leave can take up to 13 weeks off on average. </p>
<p>The presence of fathers with their newborn child brings about changes, especially within the family, in the gender division of labour. Following the leave, <a href="https://www.puq.ca/catalogue/themes/les-peres-prise-conge-parental-paternite-2833.html">fathers become more active in child rearing and household chores</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278755/original/file-20190610-52785-yznip6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278755/original/file-20190610-52785-yznip6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278755/original/file-20190610-52785-yznip6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278755/original/file-20190610-52785-yznip6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278755/original/file-20190610-52785-yznip6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278755/original/file-20190610-52785-yznip6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278755/original/file-20190610-52785-yznip6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fathers’ presence with their newborn brings changes, especially within the family, regarding the division of labour between the genders.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Resistance in the workplace</h2>
<p>Our research has shown <a href="https://r-libre.teluq.ca/512/">great progress in less than 15 years</a>, but also some challenges for fathers who want to fully assume their role. </p>
<p>Not all workplaces seem to have evolved as much as families have. Indeed, there is some resistance in Québec as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1366880022000041801">in the Nordic countries, including Sweden, the precursor of paternity leave</a>. </p>
<p>Fathers sometimes have to negotiate with their employer to be able to take the leave when they want, and for as long as they want (<a href="https://r-libre.teluq.ca/669/">that is, take part of the parental leave in addition to paternity leave</a>).</p>
<p>Some workplaces present <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/sociologies/4449">more challenges</a> for those who wish to take longer absences or reduced hours at work for a few years, for example, to be more present with their children.</p>
<p>Colleagues and employers also sometimes show some reluctance, even resistance, by asking the father to work a little during his leave — which some will even call “holidays!”</p>
<p>As well, some employers are not shy about calling or emailing fathers on paternity leave, asking them to do some work, spend a few hours in the office or complete a project because no one else could apparently do it.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278756/original/file-20190610-52771-pz8k3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278756/original/file-20190610-52771-pz8k3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278756/original/file-20190610-52771-pz8k3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278756/original/file-20190610-52771-pz8k3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278756/original/file-20190610-52771-pz8k3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278756/original/file-20190610-52771-pz8k3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278756/original/file-20190610-52771-pz8k3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It is not uncommon for fathers to do some work during their leave, especially if they are professionals and have to manage clients.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sometimes the father is asked to postpone his weeks of leave to a time when his services are not as in demand. <a href="https://www.puq.ca/catalogue/themes/les-peres-prise-conge-parental-paternite-2833.html">The employer also may prefer the paternity leave to not exceed three to five weeks.</a> </p>
<p>While this may have an impact on their careers or on workplace promotions, as is often the case for women, the fact remains that many men claim their right to take this leave.</p>
<h2>Few experience serious problems</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13668803.2018.1527756?journalCode=ccwf20">In all our research, only one father has experienced serious career-related problems</a>. He said his boss hated him and that he was seen as an “absolute pariah,” because he took paternity leave. Another said he had an unpleasant surprise when he returned to work, discovering the company had replaced him in his job and this caused some conflict.</p>
<p>However, the situation of Québec fathers is much more advantageous than that observed in other countries, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13668803.2017.1346586?journalCode=ccwf20">particularly in Japan, where it is frowned upon for fathers to take leave.</a></p>
<p>It is rare that women are bothered during their leave. On the one hand, those with low wages will return to work as soon as possible. At the other end of the spectrum, <a href="https://r-libre.teluq.ca/240/">for those in professional and managerial environments</a>, the company may want an employee to maintain contact with customers. Sometimes it is the new mothers who do it right away, knowing that the employer will not necessarily keep their files for them. They don’t want to risk losing them and having to start all over again when they return. </p>
<p>Paternity leave therefore seems to have been well accepted and accepted in Québec, despite some resistance. The success is undeniable. If there are constraints, they are often self-imposed, especially among managers and professionals, who wish to maintain a link with their work while taking on the new job of being a parent to their child.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118737/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Thanks to a provincial insurance plan, Québec fathers are spending more time with their newborns, bringing about changes in the gender division of labour within the family.Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, Professeure à l'Université TELUQ, Université du Québec, directrice de l'ARUC sur la gestion des âges et des temps sociaux et de la Chaire de recherche du Canada sur l'économie du savoir, Université TÉLUQ Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1176502019-06-09T13:56:02Z2019-06-09T13:56:02ZFather’s Day: Involved dads are healthier and happier<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277779/original/file-20190604-69095-n6qrr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Paternity leave can increase fathers' involvement in families, with positive impacts on children, fathers and the co-parent. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As <a href="https://www.parents.com/holiday/fathers-day/traditions/fathers-day-activity-ideas/">Father’s Day</a> approaches, it’s fitting that we reflect on the impact of <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-652-x/89-652-x2014005-eng.htm">child care</a> on <a href="https://theconversation.com/ontarios-child-care-cuts-will-hurt-low-income-parents-working-or-studying-full-time-116723">families and children</a>. Fathers may want to stay home and raise their children, but it’s often not financially viable. A Pew Research Center study in the U.S. found that <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/06/13/fathers-day-facts/">dads who work outside the home were just about as likely as moms to say they prefer to be home with their children</a> (48 per cent of dads versus 52 per cent of moms). </p>
<p>Globally, <a href="https://www.childcarecanada.org/documents/research-policy-practice/15/04/%22daddy%E2%80%99s-home%22-increasing-men%E2%80%99s-use-paternity-leave">paternity leave can increase fathers’ involvement</a> within families and this has benefits for the children, the co-parent, the father himself, the economy and society. When Québec initiated a father leave, <a href="https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/dai/smr08/2017/smr08_218_2017">85.8 per cent of new fathers took the five-week leave, whereas within the rest of Canada, only 30 per cent</a> of fathers participated in a shared parental leave. </p>
<p>Various factors influence how much mothers will work outside the home and among these are <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1557988314549414">expectations of the father’s work and role within the family</a>. Fathers with more traditional views of being the primary provider will often work <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-11-2012-0372">longer hours which may lead to conflict regarding family and work</a>.</p>
<p>When mothers and fathers are co-parenting as a couple in a family, mothers are often more comfortable <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12523">leaving the children and returning to work when the father is actively engaged</a> with the children and she trusts the father as a partner and caregiver. </p>
<p>Parents have to decide what is best for their family. <a href="https://timeforchildcare.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/visionchildcare2020nov3eng.pdf">Affordable and accessible child care</a> is central to a family’s decision as to whether a parent <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2015001/article/14202-eng.htm">will or will not work outside of the home</a>.</p>
<h2>More fathers staying home</h2>
<p>Most fathers <a href="https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/series/tuning-in-parents-of-young-children-tell-us-what-they-think-know-and-need#parent-voices">(90 per cent) indicate that parenting is their greatest joy</a>. Fathers offer children unique and diverse experiences, and impact the child’s long-term development. </p>
<p>There has been a shift within <a href="https://www.whiteribbon.ca/uploads/1/1/3/2/113222347/fatherhood_report.pdf">Canadian families</a>, where <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2016007-eng.htm">more fathers are staying home with their children</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277772/original/file-20190604-69055-17o283h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277772/original/file-20190604-69055-17o283h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277772/original/file-20190604-69055-17o283h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277772/original/file-20190604-69055-17o283h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277772/original/file-20190604-69055-17o283h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277772/original/file-20190604-69055-17o283h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277772/original/file-20190604-69055-17o283h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fathers can promote future generations of family involvement and gender equality.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Being an involved dad <a href="https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/docs/egm16/BehsonRobbins.pdf">makes men happier and healthier and contributes to future generations of family involvement and gender equality</a>: daughters are more likely to have greater career aspirations and their sons are more likely to become good life partners when <a href="https://theconversation.com/fathers-also-want-to-have-it-all-study-says-60910">dads are involved</a> in their young children’s lives.</p>
<p>Gender equality refers to rights, responsibilities and opportunities which do not depend on the gender a person was born with <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2017/09/14/why-we-need-gender-equity-now/#296400f977a2">whereas gender equity refers to the fairness of treatment for men and women according to their human needs</a>. Changing the fabric of society to provide both gender equality and equity will allow our children to thrive. </p>
<h2>The motherhood penalty</h2>
<p>However, the role of being a primary caregiver in male-female parenting couples <a href="https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/11/04/raising-kids-and-running-a-household-how-working-parents-share-the-load/">continues to largely reside with the mother</a> for a number of reasons. A significant wage gap persists between men and women. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-503-x/2015001/article/14694-eng.htm">Statistics Canada survey</a> released in 2017 indicated women earn only 75 per cent of a man’s income. This disparity increases when workers who aren’t full-time are included — then women earn only 69 per cent of a man’s income. </p>
<p>Also, women with children earn 12 - 20 per cent less than women without children. Globally, the <a href="https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/docs/egm16/BehsonRobbins.pdf">wage gap becomes larger</a> when men and women have children, with men’s wages increasing and women’s decreasing after the birth of their children. In countries where there are more egalitarian views towards child-rearing the wage gap is smaller.</p>
<p>There is a global phenomenon called the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/25/the-motherhood-penalty-costs-women-16000-a-year-in-lost-wages.html">motherhood penalty</a>. Researchers from Denmark, a country which ranks <a href="https://denmark.dk/society-and-business/equality">high on gender equality</a>, have found that <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w24219#fromrss">after the birth of the first child, women’s earnings sharply dropped and never fully recovered</a>. </p>
<p>This drop was not the case for men with children. This phenomenon exists within wealthy countries and highlights that, as long as mothers disproportionately carry the burden of work at home after having children, inequities in pay are likely to remain.</p>
<h2>Early childhood educators: undervalued</h2>
<p>Women in wealthy countries such as <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/economic-inequality-by-gender">Canada tend to be over represented in low-paying jobs (48.9 per cent)</a>. Among the professions that receive the <a href="http://www.ccsc-cssge.ca/hr-resource-centre/occupational-standards-0">lowest wages and poorest working conditions</a> are early childhood educators. Women represent 98.2 per cent of the early childhood industry’s staff and directors. These educators continue to be undervalued. </p>
<p>Child-care centre staff <a href="http://www.ccsc-cssge.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/Projects-Pubs-Docs/EN%20Pub%20Chart/Final%20Wages%20Paper.pdf">earn only 69 per cent of the average wage for all occupations</a> despite being part of a <a href="https://www.college-ece.ca/en">regulated profession</a>. There would be a great benefit for children to experience both women and men in caring and early learning roles. But often, men — who tend to be socialized to consider themselves as primary breadwinners — cannot afford to work as early childhood educators. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277788/original/file-20190604-69095-1t3d8lp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277788/original/file-20190604-69095-1t3d8lp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277788/original/file-20190604-69095-1t3d8lp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277788/original/file-20190604-69095-1t3d8lp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277788/original/file-20190604-69095-1t3d8lp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277788/original/file-20190604-69095-1t3d8lp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277788/original/file-20190604-69095-1t3d8lp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Among the professions that receive the lowest wages and poorest working conditions are early childhood educators.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Conversely, women are greatly under-represented in top-income jobs. Within the top <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/economic-inequality-by-gender">one per cent of incomes, approximately 20 per cent</a> of these top-earning positions are held by women.</p>
<h2>World without men can’t continue</h2>
<p>Our children can’t continue to grow up in a world where only women raise them, either at home or in <a href="https://www.aeceo.ca/tags/men_in_ece">early learning and care</a>. Countries like Canada can support this needed change by providing quality <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/april-2018/what-makes-quebec-such-an-outlier-on-child-care/">universal child care</a> while nurturing a <a href="http://www.ccsc-cssge.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/Projects-Pubs-Docs/2.32-FutureCCWorkforce_Eng.pdf">more stable early childhood profession</a> and intentionally creating a more gender-balanced early childhood workforce. </p>
<p>Through better wages and work conditions for all early childhood educators and mentoring for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2012.759607">men entering the early childhood education profession</a>, the world of early learning and care could become enriched as a whole and children would experience a greater diversity of caregivers. </p>
<p>At the same time, governments and society could gain economically by investing more in quality early learning and care: <a href="https://www.td.com/document/PDF/economics/special/di1112_EarlyChildhoodEducation.pdf">for every dollar invested, the return ranges from 1.5 to almost three dollars</a> with the benefit ratio for children in lower socio-economic environments being higher. This investment would <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-research-shows-quality-early-childhood-education-reduces-need-for-later-special-ed-112275">boost children’s long-term developmental outcomes</a>. </p>
<p>This Father’s Day, we ask more fathers and men to <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/10/how-men-can-become-better-allies-to-women">speak up</a> to participate in <a href="https://www.heforshe.org/en">the global conversation</a> to create a gender-equal world. <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Moment-of-Lift">Gender equity lifts everyone</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117650/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our children can’t continue to grow up in a world where only women raise them, either at home or in early care and learning.Nikki Martyn, Program Head of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-HumberElena Merenda, Assistant Program Head of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-HumberLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1083232019-02-20T11:38:34Z2019-02-20T11:38:34ZPaid family leave is an investment in public health, not a handout<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259179/original/file-20190214-1751-uhky3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=724%2C0%2C4500%2C3050&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Protected time for new families could pay health dividends later.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/parents-their-newborn-baby-boy-on-729856267">Jacob Lund/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Most Americans – <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-president-and-women-in-white-have-paid-leave-in-common/">on both sides of the political aisle</a> – <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/04/15/an-overwhelming-majority-of-americans-support-paid-parental-leave/">say they support</a> <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ivanka-paid-parental-leave-hearing_us_5b467744e4b022fdcc55b790">paid parental leave</a>. However, we haven’t yet found the political will to make it happen. In part, that’s because the discussion always seems to start with the question, “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/06/upshot/a-california-dream-for-paid-leave-has-an-old-problem-how-to-pay-for-it.html">How do we pay for it</a>?” </p>
<p>That question goes only halfway, though. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=q676bXMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">As a researcher who focuses on stress and health within families</a>, I believe there’s a more important question to ask: “How do we pay for the lack of parental leave?” In other words, how does the stress of a rapid return to work affect parents, and in turn, cost society as a whole? Recently, I <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000376">sought to answer this question</a> by <a href="https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/64f37">delving into research</a> on the many changes that new parents experience in the first weeks, months, and years after the birth of a new child – and the possibility that all these changes might not just compromise children’s well-being, but also put parents’ long-term health at risk. </p>
<h2>A global outlier</h2>
<p>How fast should women “bounce back” after giving birth? Instantly, at least according to celebrity magazines. And many workplaces in the United States deliver the same message. The typical American maternity leave <a href="https://www.today.com/health/two-weeks-after-baby-more-new-moms-cut-maternity-leave-4B11229443">lasts only 10 weeks</a>, and a quarter of new mothers <a href="http://inthesetimes.com/article/18151/the-real-war-on-families">return to work within two weeks</a> of delivering a child.</p>
<p><iframe id="TJFvx" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/TJFvx/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>The U.S. is <a href="https://www.worldpolicycenter.org/policies/is-paid-leave-available-to-mothers-and-fathers-of-infants/is-paid-leave-available-for-fathers-of-infants">one of the only countries in the world</a> that does not <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/07/15/422957640/lots-of-other-countries-mandate-paid-leave-why-not-the-us">guarantee paid leave to new parents</a>. The 1993 Family Medical and Leave Act provides for unpaid leave – but almost half of U.S. workers are not eligible, and many cannot afford time off without pay. Compare this to the rest of the globe, where <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/maternity-leave-around-the-world-2018-5">paid maternity leave is standard</a>, averaging 18 weeks internationally and extending beyond six months in many developed countries.</p>
<h2>New parent stress, long-term effects?</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190628963.013.23">Economists have examined paid family leave policies</a> and measured their impact on worker retention and productivity, as well as health outcomes. But their studies typically focus on population-level trends. As a psychologist whose work takes a more intimate look at family processes, I wondered: How does the stress of work-family conflict affect the well-being of new parents?</p>
<p>I reached out to Stanford economist and family leave policy expert <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vuOKLC4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Maya Rossin-Slater</a> to help digest the body of research on health and family leave. Together with developmental neuroscientist Diane Goldenberg, we reviewed existing studies and proposed future directions for research and policy in a <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000376">recent paper published in American Psychologist</a>. </p>
<p>Psychologists already know that the transition to parenthood is a high-risk time for <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/postpartum-depression-facts/index.shtml">mental health problems</a> like anxiety and depression. New parents are about <a href="https://www.postpartumdepression.org/resources/statistics/">twice as likely to report clinically significant depression</a> as are adults at other life stages.</p>
<p>Physical health risks may worsen during this time as well. For example, obesity: <a href="https://www.fitpregnancy.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/how-pregnancy-weight-gain-could-contribute-obesity-epidemic">many mothers gain in excess</a> of physician-recommended weight guidelines during pregnancy, and may struggle to <a href="https://www.laboratoryequipment.com/article/2019/01/changes-metabolism-lead-postpartum-weight-gain">lose this weight after birth</a>. New fathers also gain weight: <a href="https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/07/25/weight-gain-in-new-fathers-is-a-real-phenomenon-thats-been-subjected-to-a-striking-lack-of-research/">“Dad bod” is real</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258587/original/file-20190212-174873-k8rl48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258587/original/file-20190212-174873-k8rl48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258587/original/file-20190212-174873-k8rl48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258587/original/file-20190212-174873-k8rl48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258587/original/file-20190212-174873-k8rl48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258587/original/file-20190212-174873-k8rl48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258587/original/file-20190212-174873-k8rl48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258587/original/file-20190212-174873-k8rl48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dads have big adjustments during this transition, too.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/0mRerwRVqVA">Zach Vessels/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Stress influences both mental health and weight gain, and may also <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402162546.htm">affect immune and inflammatory processes</a> that can contribute to long-term health risks. Costly chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer drain the economy, and yet few researchers have zeroed in on the transition to parenthood as a potential inflection point in risk for these diseases. Are these risks magnified when parents lack protected time to recover from birth and adjust to parenthood? If so, the U.S. may be setting up new parents – and especially low income parents – to fail. </p>
<p>In making sense of the research that speaks to health in parents, we started by first identifying what changes over the transition to parenthood in order to spotlight potential areas of vulnerability.</p>
<h2>Neurobiological changes</h2>
<p>At the neurobiological level, researchers are finding that new parents’ hormones and brains may be particularly changeable – what scientists call plastic.</p>
<p>Research on rodents has found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2280">pregnancy hormones remodel the maternal rat brain</a>, helping prep the mother-to-be for infant care. Human mothers also show dramatic changes in hormones across pregnancy and the postpartum period. One neuroimaging study scanned women pre-pregnancy and then tracked them over several years, scanning them again after childbirth. Surprisingly, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pregnancy-causes-lasting-changes-in-a-womans-brain/">women’s brains actually shrunk</a> over the transition to motherhood, showing reductions in volume particularly in areas linked with social cognition. Pruning may have helped these areas work more efficiently to support caregiving, since women who lost more brain volume also reported stronger attachment to their infants. </p>
<p>Fathers may also undergo neurobiological transformation across the transition to parenthood. Studies have found <a href="https://theconversation.com/postpartum-depression-can-affect-dads-and-their-hormones-may-be-to-blame-81310">decreased testosterone in new dads</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17470919.2014.933713">changes in men’s brain volume</a> in early parenthood, for example. </p>
<p>These neurobiological changes may shape parents’ long-term health, although research evidence is still scant. Scientists also don’t know much about how stress affects the neural and hormonal changes that can accompany parenthood. But what we do know is that new parents are undergoing big biological changes, making this time a sensitive window for the brain. </p>
<h2>Psychological and social change</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258354/original/file-20190211-174857-1wgult6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258354/original/file-20190211-174857-1wgult6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258354/original/file-20190211-174857-1wgult6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258354/original/file-20190211-174857-1wgult6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258354/original/file-20190211-174857-1wgult6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258354/original/file-20190211-174857-1wgult6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258354/original/file-20190211-174857-1wgult6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258354/original/file-20190211-174857-1wgult6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A new baby can come with a lot of shocks to the system.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/XHF_paR2PUE">Jessica To'oto'o/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although many parents eagerly await the arrival of their new baby, becoming a parent can also be challenging, isolating and even overwhelming. Infants require constant care, which can be cognitively and emotionally taxing and physically exhausting. For parents who must return to work soon after birth, the scramble to find trustworthy childcare can also take a financial toll. </p>
<p>Large studies have found that <a href="https://theconversation.com/have-children-heres-how-kids-ruin-your-romantic-relationship-57944">well-being takes a dip</a> during early parenthood; one found that becoming a parent spurred a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-015-0413-2">larger decline in happiness</a> than events like divorce, unemployment or the death of a partner. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/home-base/201602/can-you-babyproof-your-relationship">Couples’ relationship satisfaction also nosedives</a> in the postpartum period, as they adjust to new roles and responsibilities.</p>
<p>All of these psychological changes may set parents up for heightened mental health risk, reflected in the elevated prevalence of depression and anxiety during this time. </p>
<h2>Behavioral change</h2>
<p>Parents’ everyday routines are upended after a baby’s arrival.</p>
<p>Take sleep. Anyone who has lived with an infant knows they wake up often at night. It’s been estimated that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kws246">parents lose about 80 hours</a> of sleep a year for the first few years of a child’s life. Fathers may actually <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/04/05/473002684/for-new-parents-dad-may-be-the-one-missing-the-most-sleep">wind up more sleep-deprived than mothers</a>, in part because they return to the workplace sooner. </p>
<p>New parents also report <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-3218">lower levels of physical exercise, may eat less healthy diets</a> and have fewer opportunities to pursue hobbies and get together with friends. Given that sleep, exercise and other healthy routines are strongly linked with well-being, these changes might help explain why new parents show heightened health risks across so many domains. In particular, scientists know that poor sleep increases vulnerability to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beem.2010.07.001">disease</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/28.10.1289">obesity</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/da.1041">mood disorders</a>, so sleep deprivation in the postpartum period may be a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1160560/">key driver</a> of the risks that new parents experience. </p>
<h2>Risk and vulnerability</h2>
<p>So what can one conclude from all of this research? Like many windows of dynamic developmental change, the transition to parenthood is a time of transformation that can spur growth – but also brings vulnerability.</p>
<p>Changes in stress physiology, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.298.14.1685">obesity, inflammation</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181963/">mental health</a> contribute to a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.298.14.1685">cascade of risks that predict costly cardiac and metabolic diseases</a> down the road. Paid family leave requires significant investment, but might save taxpayers money if it lessens the burden of these chronic diseases on the economy. And our review focused on parents’ health in adulthood, not even scratching the surface of the potential benefits to children that paid family leave policy can bring. For example, mothers with access to leave <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/birt.12230">breastfeed longer</a>, and family leave has been linked with lower rates of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22012">ADHD and obesity in young children</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259181/original/file-20190214-1754-1yh94n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259181/original/file-20190214-1754-1yh94n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259181/original/file-20190214-1754-1yh94n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259181/original/file-20190214-1754-1yh94n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259181/original/file-20190214-1754-1yh94n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259181/original/file-20190214-1754-1yh94n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259181/original/file-20190214-1754-1yh94n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259181/original/file-20190214-1754-1yh94n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Investment in family leave now, payoffs in better health later?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/asian-parents-newborn-baby-close-portrait-733313083">paulaphoto/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Research finds that <a href="https://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20180504/loneliness-rivals-obesity-smoking-as-health-risk">loneliness is worse for your health</a> than smoking cigarettes, suggesting that connections with others may play a profound role in population health. Public health investment has led to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/18/smoking-united-states-cigarette-sales/713002002/">dramatic declines in smoking</a> over the last four decades, but hasn’t yet truly tackled <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000103">social cohesion as a public health challenge</a>. What better place to start than by facilitating the first and arguably most important set of social connections – those that blossom within a new family.</p>
<p>This topic is personal for me. When my first child was born, I was a psychotherapy intern at a veterans hospital. As a federal employee, I didn’t qualify for state disability and, as a contract employee, couldn’t access Department of Veterans Affairs leave. My husband, a freelancer, could not take time off without losing income, and I couldn’t quit my job – we needed the health insurance. My wonderful supervisors let me take unpaid time off. But money was tight. Nearby daycares had yearlong wait lists and cost half our combined income. I’m an Ivy League grad with a doctorate, one of the lucky ones, but could barely afford the cost of having a child in the United States. </p>
<p>It doesn’t have to be this way. If Americans reconceptualize parents as a precious national resource, child-rearing as an enterprise that secures the long-term future of the U.S. economy and the transition to parenthood as a window for long-term health, then we can decide as a society that family leave is worth the investment. And there is hope on the horizon: Less than a year after Tammy Duckworth became the <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/tammy-duckworth-birth-girl-first-senator-have-baby-maile-pearl-bowlsbey-office/">first senator to give birth while in office</a>, the 2018 midterm elections <a href="https://www.workingmother.com/number-working-moms-in-congress-will-double-in-2019">doubled the number of working mothers in Congress</a>. When President Trump mentioned paid family leave in his <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/at-sotu-trump-says-federal-budget-will-include-paid-family-leave">State of the Union address</a>, legislators from both parties applauded – a rare moment of unity in an otherwise divided Congress. At long last, the United States’ status as a global outlier on family leave policy may be coming to an end.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108323/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Darby Saxbe receives funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p>The transition to parenthood comes with plenty of stress. A psychology researcher suggests that paid family leave could help lift some of the burden – with positive health benefits down the road.Darby Saxbe, Assistant Professor of Psychology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/948742018-12-12T14:42:17Z2018-12-12T14:42:17ZFixing gender gaps isn’t just about women – men will benefit from a more equal society too<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249710/original/file-20181210-76968-5wepyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We've got this. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/581516992?src=n1qNzvr4lUThnzRDmFLJng-1-55&size=medium_jpg">Liderina/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK is in the middle of a conversation about the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2018/apr/05/women-are-paid-less-than-men-heres-how-to-fix-it">gender pay gap</a>. And rightly so. No matter how you look at it, the average <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43651780">9.7% difference</a> between the collective earnings of men and women suggests a structural disadvantage to women.</p>
<p>Yet the pay gap lays bare another issue that’s not talked about so often – the way society currently addresses issues that have a negative impact on men.</p>
<p>One recent example was coverage of the new-found <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/thecommutinggapmenaccountfor65ofcommuteslastingmorethananhour/2018-11-07">“gender commute gap”</a>, which found that women’s journeys to work each day take significantly less time than men’s – often 15 minutes for women, compared with over an hour for men. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/07/childcare-constraints-forcing-more-women-to-work-closer-to-home">Coverage</a> of this was almost exclusively that it was a disadvantage to women, and was linked to gendered expectations, with unequal divisions of childcare responsibilities constraining women to work closer to home. In turn, this could be contributing to the gender pay gap, although as the <a href="https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/13673">Institute for Fiscal Studies noted</a> any such link is yet to be established. </p>
<p>But there was little discussion of the concerning implications this gender commuting gap holds for men. With each extra minute of travel, the mental well-being of the commuter decreases, according to a 2014 report on commuting by the <a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160129145729/http:/www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/commuting-and-personal-well-being--2014/index.html">Office for National Statistics</a>. The difference in well-being was most stark between commutes of around an hour, and those of 15 minutes or less – neatly overlapping with the difference in travel times between men and women. Add to this less free time to devote to family responsibilities and there is a clear <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/magazine/the-sunday-times-magazine/why-arent-successful-middle-aged-fathers-happy-w59026xnw">negative impact on men</a> of their longer commutes. </p>
<h2>Benefits to fathers of paternity leave</h2>
<p>This is symptomatic of a wider problem with how we talk about equality in society. In a <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmwomeq/358/358.pdf">report</a>, published earlier this year, MPs on the Women and Equalities Committee recommended an overhaul of paternity leave after statistics suggested that <a href="https://www.emwllp.com/latest/claimed-shared-parental/">as few as 1%</a> of UK fathers are taking what leave they are entitled to. This is in spite of significant numbers <a href="https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Modern-Families-Index_Full-Report.pdf">wanting to take a more active role.</a></p>
<p>This discrepancy is due to a range of factors, including fathers being unable to afford leave, and stereotypes and workplace attitudes which make men unable, or uncomfortable to ask for it. Fathers report <a href="http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/women-and-equalities-committee/fathers-and-the-workplace/written/47916.pdf">similar marginalisation and belittling</a> in other activities they do as parents – including at <a href="https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/insights/good-practice-fathers-children-and-family-services">schools, nurseries and healthcare services</a>. Almost as though to prove the point, the committee’s report itself slips into referring to <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmwomeq/358/358.pdf">fathers as “second parents”</a>. </p>
<p>This means that men are currently missing out. Research shows that there are <a href="http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Cash-and-carry-Full-Report-PDF.pdf">a range of benefits</a> of fathers taking on greater childcare responsibilities: beyond the obvious benefits to child development, it can also improve the mental health and fulfilment of men. This has a knock-on impact on men’s physical health. Involved fathers are <a href="http://www.ecdip.org/docs/pdf/IF%20Father%20Res%20Summary%20(KD).pdf">less likely</a> to suffer from accidental or premature death, hospital admissions, and substance abuse. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249717/original/file-20181210-76968-fzncnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249717/original/file-20181210-76968-fzncnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249717/original/file-20181210-76968-fzncnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249717/original/file-20181210-76968-fzncnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249717/original/file-20181210-76968-fzncnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249717/original/file-20181210-76968-fzncnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249717/original/file-20181210-76968-fzncnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Towards a more equal society.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/1143653393?src=b7aeSZLkXADU2JRy0J8mzQ-1-17&size=medium_jpg">Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet while more active involvement improves the well-being of fathers and children, this important research is largely ignored when making the case for tackling the low uptake of paternity leave. </p>
<p>Instead, the overwhelming argument is that issues around paternity leave should be tackled <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/mar/20/mps-call-for-12-weeks-of-paternity-leave-to-address-gender-pay-gap">to solve the gender pay gap</a>. This was the reason the committee report <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/women-and-equalities-committee/news-parliament-2015/fathers-and-the-workplace-launch-16-17/">was even commissioned at all</a>.</p>
<p>To be sure, if addressing the paternity leave issue <a href="https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/why-fatherhood-holds-the-key-to-solving-the-gender-pay-gap/">can help</a> solve the gender pay gap, then that’s a reason to act. But it’s surely not the only, nor even the main, reason why we should care about the low take up of paternity leave. </p>
<p>As I’ve argued <a href="https://inherentlyhuman.wordpress.com/2018/04/03/womens-rights-and-male-parasites-when-paternity-leave-becomes-a-womens-issue/">elsewhere</a>, it’s harmful to treat paternity leave as merely a pathway to gender pay parity, rather than a goal in itself. It not only belittles the disadvantages faced by fathers, but also risks limiting the effectiveness of whatever measures are taken to resolve difficulties within parental leave. And that doesn’t help anyone.</p>
<h2>How we talk about equality</h2>
<p>There are a number of challenges <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/international-mens-day-2018-shocking-statistics-need-know/">facing men and boys today</a>. These range from the disproportionately high rate of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43572779">male suicide</a>, to acute under-reporting and stigma surrounding <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/ive-felt-emasculated-terry-crews-sheds-light-men/story?id=51181942">male victims of sexual assault</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/key-data-mental-health">mental illness</a>. But when attention is devoted to addressing these challenges, it’s often seen merely as a way to enhance the rights of women. </p>
<p>The question “what about the men?” is vital, we’re often told – in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2018/mar/08/international-womens-day-stop-patching-men">media, and by equality campaigners</a> – because “we want to protect women and girls”. It’s vital, we’re told, because the challenges facing men impact women in many ways, such as the weight that men’s mental health struggles put on women, for example as carers “responsible” for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2018/mar/08/international-womens-day-stop-patching-men">“patching men up”</a>. This is not just a matter of rhetoric: there are real consequences for society, and particularly for men.</p>
<p>It’s positive that women and wider society will benefit from tackling problems faced by men. But we also need to tackle these issues – and the outdated attitudes and stereotypes about men’s role at work and at home – because of the harm this does to men and to their well-being. This is a valuable pursuit in itself. Not framing it as such leaves a potentially harmful gap in the way society talks and acts on gender equality.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/94874/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Kyle L Murray does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There is a wide problem with the way society talks about gender equality.Dr Kyle L Murray, Teaching Fellow in Public Law and Human Rights & PhD Candidate, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1042902018-10-22T09:55:22Z2018-10-22T09:55:22ZNo wonder dads aren’t taking shared parental leave – most employers have failed to embrace it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241292/original/file-20181018-67164-1ox500r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Parental leave for new mums as well as new dads was always going to be a potentially tricky sell. On top of prejudice, societal pressures and expectations, many people still believe a new baby is best being <a href="https://www.laleche.org.uk/early-years-baby-intense-need-mother/">looked after by its mother</a>, and some new mums may feel they have earned the time off.</p>
<p>This is despite the fact that <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ssqu.12523">a recent study shows</a> a direct correlation between dads who are more involved and the stability of their long-term relationships with partners. The study looked at more than 13,000 mixed-sex couples and found that fathers who spend more time alone caring for their babies are less likely to separate from their partners.</p>
<p>But three years after the introduction of <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/3050/contents/made">shared parental leave</a> – whereby parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave (37 weeks of which is paid) if they meet certain eligibility criteria – its benefits are yet to be obvious to many parents. And <a href="http://researchprofiles.herts.ac.uk/portal/en/projects/challenges-to-shared-parental-leave(58b9f645-1317-47d0-b06f-3f04bb3b26e6).html">my research</a>investigating the reasons why mothers may or may not want to share their leave with their partners suggests that some employers have failed to embrace and normalise shared parental leave in the workplace. </p>
<p>The research, which involved 756 online responses and 20 semi-structured interviews with parents found that, while most organisations now have policies on shared parental leave, only 18% of respondents heard about it from their employers.</p>
<h2>‘Complex and bureaucratic’</h2>
<p>The findings reveal that many employers don’t seem to understand how shared parental leave actually works. Many companies were unable to explain to their staff what shared parental leave is, or how it works – as Sarah, a 32-year-old mum explained:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’m sure my HR department still don’t understand what shared parental leave is, because there was so much confusion.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Participants also talked about HR policies being too difficult to understand. Though this may not be surprising, given the shared parental leave policy has been described as <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/parenting/why-are-only-1-in-100-men-taking-up-shared-parental-leave/">complex and bureaucratic</a>. In my research only 11% of the survey participants said they understood their company’s policy on shared parental leave pay. Companies also seem to be reluctant to share the policy widely within the company, as James, a 37-year-old line manager put it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I like being helpful, but I don’t think I’d necessarily say: ‘Oh guys, I’ve just learnt something new. Here, do you know that you can take more time off, just go and have another child’. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This lack of employer awareness and communication then affects staff decisions and attitudes towards shared parental leave policy – making it less likely that employees will consider taking shared parental leave. </p>
<h2>Social stigma</h2>
<p>But there are other challenges that go far beyond what employer awareness and communication can resolve alone. This includes <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253510245_The_Family-Friendly_Workplace_Integrating_Employees'_Work_and_Life_and_the_Impact_on_Talent_Attraction_and_Retention">leadership and culture</a> in the workplace, as well as the lack of <a href="https://theconversation.com/legal-battles-loom-on-shared-parental-leave-from-fathers-not-getting-equal-benefits-51623">role models</a> for stay-at-home dads. </p>
<p>There are also issues around mother and child health after birth – some women aren’t able to go back to work straight away due to complications. Then there is a cultural perception of dad still being the <a href="https://www.myfamilycare.co.uk/resources/news/shared-parental-leave-two-years-on/">breadwinner of the family</a>, issues around <a href="https://theconversation.com/breastfeed-for-longer-or-share-parental-leave-this-shouldnt-be-a-choice-couples-have-to-make-80431">breastfeeding</a> and the nature of the type of work mother and fathers do – including the impact that taking time off can have on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-flexible-working-is-key-if-shared-parental-leave-is-to-have-a-lasting-impact-on-the-gender-pay-gap-94150">careers</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241290/original/file-20181018-67194-n42n7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241290/original/file-20181018-67194-n42n7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241290/original/file-20181018-67194-n42n7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241290/original/file-20181018-67194-n42n7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241290/original/file-20181018-67194-n42n7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241290/original/file-20181018-67194-n42n7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241290/original/file-20181018-67194-n42n7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Most new parents choose not to take shared parental leave.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another part of the issue is the fact that shared parental leave is paid at the statutory rate – this leaves it up to the employers to chose whether or not to enhance shared parental leave pay. </p>
<p>Shared parental leave pay is currently <a href="https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay">£139.58 a week or 90% of an employee’s average weekly earnings</a> – whichever is lower. But an employer may offer more. This is the same as statutory maternity pay – except during the first six weeks of maternity, pay amounts to 90% of whatever the employee earns, with no maximum.</p>
<p>So in this sense it could leave some families worse off, as <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/3050/contents/made">the policy</a> does not place legal obligations on employers that enhance maternity or paternity leave pay to do the same for shared parental leave pay.</p>
<p>Although <a href="https://www.employeebenefits.co.uk/deloitte-pwc-and-shell-to-offer-enhanced-paternity-packages/">some companies</a> decided right from the introduction of shared parental leave to offer enhanced pay, many are yet to do so. And employees who can’t get enhanced pay – but have access to enhanced maternity or paternity pay – may not take the shared option because of the financial cost. As 32-year-old Jade explained:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We both work for the NHS and are eligible for enhanced maternity and paternity pay … However, if we had taken shared parental leave, we would have lost the enhanced pay so would have been financially much worse off. </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Redefining parenthood</h2>
<p>Shared parental leave is a policy that is a <a href="https://theconversation.com/shared-parental-leave-is-a-nice-idea-but-will-it-actually-work-28786">milestone</a> towards cultural change. It provides an opportunity for fathers to be more active in caring for their children and for mothers to have the opportunity of limiting the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1m-million-to-help-tackle-pregnancy-discrimination-in-the-workplace">effect of caring responsibilities</a> on their career. </p>
<p>But this policy and its intended aims cannot be achieved if employers don’t engage with it and embrace it. This is important because if employers are not being proactive and passing the relevant information onto their staff, many will not know or push to know about shared leave.</p>
<p>What all this shows is that employers are key players on shared parental leave. And for society to truly benefit from the introduction of shared parental leave, more companies need to communicate effectively with their employees, enhance pay where possible and encourage staff to take advantage of the policy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104290/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ernestine Gheyoh Ndzi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Most dads aren’t taking shared parental leave – new research reveals why.Ernestine Gheyoh Ndzi, Senior Lecturer and Cohort Tutor, Hertfordshire Law School, University of HertfordshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1029932018-09-12T08:22:53Z2018-09-12T08:22:53ZNew generation of working parents demand a better deal on shared parental leave<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235842/original/file-20180911-144458-torg4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">My turn. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-loving-young-man-holding-baby-721480006?src=CRbW_yZuRLpZJ8fNFygfcg-1-5">Rido/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Despite widespread belief that men should be as involved as women in all aspects of childcare, they are both still largely playing traditional gender roles when looking after children, according to a <a href="https://gender.bitc.org.uk/system/files/research/bitc_equal_lives_september_2018.pdf">new report</a> from Business In The Community (BITC).</p>
<p>This is disappointing news for gender equality, and the British government’s initiatives around family-friendly workplace policies, such as shared parental leave.</p>
<p>The BITC report, entitled “Equal Lives”, is underpinned by a survey of 10,000 employees with caring responsibilities. It found that men under age 35 are “significantly more likely” to wish to take a more active role in caring for their children than previous generations of fathers. This finding resonates with the conversations we’ve had in our ongoing research with men and couples who opted to take shared parental leave. Since 2015, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay">shared parental leave</a> has allowed eligible parents the opportunity to divide up to a year of parental leave between them in a baby’s first year or first year of adoption.</p>
<p>Our interactions with this current generation of parents who’ve had a child since 2015 show just how strongly some hold ideals of parenting equality. For many, family-friendly schemes, such as shared parental leave, are playing catch up with their already-established ideals and beliefs: that parenting is a joint, and equal, venture. As one of the parents we interviewed, Sarada, <a href="https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/shared-parental-leave-videos/sarada-and-adam/">told us</a>: </p>
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<p>I never saw the one-year maternity right as something that automatically applied to every single woman, I saw that as an option and shared parental leave caught up with my mindset.</p>
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<h2>Already lagging behind</h2>
<p>Those we’ve interviewed have called into question traditional gender roles, with our research suggesting that shared parental leave policy is already lagging behind this new generation’s progressive thinking.</p>
<p>Parents have told us they find the maternity leave transfer model that underpins shared parental leave unhelpful. An employed woman still has the right to up to 52 weeks of maternity leave, but it’s up to her whether she wishes to swap some of this time for shared parental leave taken with her partner. It is one aspect of the scheme that has been blamed for its <a href="https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/workflex-blog/shared-parental-leave-opportunities-barriers-sharethejoy-campaign/">poor take up</a>.</p>
<p>Equal Lives finds that many men consider that shared parental leave positions leave as “a woman’s prerogative”. The men in our own <a href="http://www.research.mbs.ac.uk/makingroomfordad/">study</a> felt they were “loaning” leave from their partner. They often described themselves as feeling like a “charity case”, or a “second-class parent”, beholden to their female partner to transfer some of “her” leave. The Equal Lives survey reported that 85% of parents under the age of 35 already consider caring to be an equal responsibility, so perhaps it’s unsurprising that the men we’ve spoken to were indignant about the way shared parental leave works. </p>
<p>Nordic countries are ahead of the game here, all adopting, in some form, a “use it or lose it” quota of leave specifically for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/mar/19/parental-rights-norway-reduce-inequality">dads</a>, and offering a ring-fenced period of time on leave that is reserved for mothers and fathers. Both parents are obliged to take leave from work to care for their child and if they don’t use it, they lose it – a potential policy change which BITC supports.</p>
<p>Yet the UK’s established and comparatively long maternity leave (increased to one year in 2003) is deeply entrenched. And so it’s easy to see why the UK currently operates what is essentially <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/women-and-equalities-committee/news-parliament-2017/fathers-and-the-workplace-report-17-19/">a transferal scheme</a> between parents. </p>
<h2>Fit work around people’s lives</h2>
<p>In working through how couples make caring decisions, it’s useful to see how same-sex couples operate. The Equal Lives survey found that men in same-sex couples were less likely to be concerned with “depriving their partner” of leave that is rightfully theirs.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-shared-parental-leave-gives-adoptive-parents-real-time-to-build-a-new-family-unit-95618">How shared parental leave gives adoptive parents real time to build a new family unit</a>
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<p>However, new Swedish research suggests that this is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/esr/article/34/5/471/5056857?searchresult=1">not the case in same-sex female couples</a> involving a birth mother, where those preconceived roles can still linger. The research, comparing parental leave in different-sex and female same-sex couples, finds that the birth mother’s uptake of leave is higher than the partner’s uptake in both same-sex and different-sex couples. Perceived norms still exist, linked to the child’s “need” for its birth mother. </p>
<p>The Equal Lives findings come alongside other calls for the workplace to be reimagined. In early September, Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/10/four-day-working-week-for-all-is-a-realistic-goal-this-century-frances-o-grady">called for a universal four-day week</a> so that employees can benefit from the increased efficiency afforded by technological change.</p>
<p>Such a call also recognises that work needs to fit with peoples’ lives – and it provides food for thought about other ways to facilitate a more equal sharing of childcare. The Equal Lives report shows it’s time for employers and society to recognise more fully the importance of supporting employees to have lives outside work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102993/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Banister receives funding from Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and British Academy/Leverhulme</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Kerrane receives funding from British Academy/Leverhulme and ESRC. </span></em></p>Men under 35 want to take a more active role in caring for their children than older generations.Emma Banister, Senior Lecturer, University of ManchesterBen Kerrane, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/956182018-04-30T15:38:43Z2018-04-30T15:38:43ZHow shared parental leave gives adoptive parents real time to build a new family unit<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216498/original/file-20180426-175058-61spd7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/home">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The latest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tKBxpH9e70">video</a> in the government’s <a href="https://sharedparentalleave.campaign.gov.uk/">campaign</a> to promote shared parental leave features two dads. The video, which we helped to develop, is a timely reminder that the implications of shared parental leave extend beyond a family with two biological parents. </p>
<p>Shared parental leave gives <a href="https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay">eligible parents flexibility</a> to split up to 50 weeks of leave after having a child, or within one year of adopting a child. They can also receive statutory pay for 37 weeks of that time, of £145.18. It replaces any untaken <a href="https://www.gov.uk/employers-maternity-pay-leave">maternity leave</a> – after the first period of up to four weeks which are compulsory – and is in addition to the fathers’ right to take two weeks of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/paternity-pay-leave">paternity leave</a>.</p>
<p>Reports since the introduction of shared parental leave in 2016 have tended to focus on the small number of fathers taking it up, suggested to be <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43026312">around 2%</a>. But the entitlement offers real possibilities for new parents in all types of family set up. </p>
<p>Rob and Richard, the two dads featured in the government’s video and whose experiences are further explored in an article in <a href="http://www.gaytimes.co.uk/life/105158/how-shared-parental-leave-for-this-gay-couple-has-been-very-positive-and-hugely-rewarding/">Gay Times</a>, are a case in point. They are adoptive parents who both took shared parental leave. </p>
<p>When adopting as part of a couple, parents have to choose who will be the primary adopter. This parent is entitled to adoption leave, similar to maternity leave. However, adoption is not the same as giving birth. For a start, the primary adopter does not require birth recovery time. And while there are plenty of demands on all new parents, adoption can involve a very unique set of challenges.</p>
<p>As Richard highlights in the video, the very early period of adoption is primarily taken up with introductions. This means that for someone taking the traditional two-week paternity leave, it leaves insufficient bonding time.</p>
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<h2>Time to become a father</h2>
<p>Reliable statistics that break down the take up of shared parental leave by family type or gender identity do not exist. But so far, debates around shared parental leave have mainly focused on heterosexual fathers and whether they want, or are allowed, to take leave. The implication is that mothers “gatekeep” or are unwilling to give up “their” leave and that at the same time, workplaces, families and friends can’t see men as anything other than breadwinners. </p>
<p>But in some family situations, shared parental leave can make a huge and important difference. Our recent <a href="http://www.research.mbs.ac.uk/makingroomfordad">research</a> with a range of fathers has highlighted a number of concerns regarding <a href="http://blog.policy.manchester.ac.uk/posts/2018/01/are-some-fathers-being-ignored-in-family-friendly-policy-initiatives/">eligibility, low pay</a>, and what a system of transferred maternity leave implies to new dads – <a href="https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/workflex-blog/shared-parental-leave-opportunities-barriers-sharethejoy-campaign/">positioning them as secondary parents</a>. </p>
<p>Our research also shed light on the great enthusiasm with which men spoke of their time on leave. “Just do it” was the overwhelming message they had for other dads. </p>
<p>Higher numbers of fathers sharing care has the potential to redress the gender pay gap. The fathers we interviewed gave compelling examples of how shared parental leave had benefited their partners’ careers, as well as promoting “involved fatherhood”. However, one thing that stood out to us was how the leave had helped couples to build <a href="https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/shared-parental-leave-videos/">their new family unit</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-flexible-working-is-key-if-shared-parental-leave-is-to-have-a-lasting-impact-on-the-gender-pay-gap-94150">Why flexible working is key if shared parental leave is to have a lasting impact on the gender pay gap</a>
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<p>Fathers discussed developing “empathy”, “shared understandings” and feeling “closer together” with their partner. They developed common understandings of the highs and lows of being a new parent. </p>
<p>For adoptive families, who are suddenly given responsibility for one or more children, this shared understanding can be very important. According to <a href="http://www.adoptionmatch.org.uk/statistics/">adoption data from 2017</a>, the majority of children waiting to be adopted were two years or older and in sibling groups of two or more. Adopting can be a steep learning curve. </p>
<h2>Extend, don’t replace</h2>
<p>The next step is to make shared parental leave more widely available. The TUC notes that around 40% of working fathers <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/two-five-new-fathers-won%E2%80%99t-qualify-shared-parental-leave-says-tuc">are not eligible</a> for it. </p>
<p>The MP Tracy Brabin is <a href="https://tracybrabinmp.com/2018/02/21/tracy-brabin-mp-proposes-trailblazing-bill-to-give-self-employed-equal-access-to-shared-parental-leave/">leading the fight</a> to extend leave to self-employed and agency workers, and make it an entitlement from the first day a person starts a job. Unlike maternity leave, fathers are currently not eligible for paternity or other types of parental leave from their first day of employment – they need to have banked <a href="https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay/eligibility">at least 26 weeks</a> with their current employer. </p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmwomeq/358/358.pdf">report</a> by MPs on the Women and Equalities Select Committee suggested replacing shared parental leave with an extra 12 weeks of better rewarded paternity leave. </p>
<p>For adoptive parents, an extension to paternity leave would surely be welcomed, yet not at the expense of shared parental leave, which allows up to 50 weeks to be shared. Parents can choose to take up to six months together, or share periods of leave. Either could work well for adoptive parents, particularly with older children.</p>
<p>The government’s new video will hopefully encourage people to look beyond the take-up of parental leave in the traditional set up of two biological heterosexual parents. Although shared parental leave may be flawed in <a href="https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/workflex-blog/where-next-for-shared-parental-leave-reflections-on-fathers-and-the-workplace-recommendations/">parts</a>, it provides an important first step towards allowing eligible families greater choice in the first year of care.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95618/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Banister receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and British Academy/Leverhulme.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Kerrane receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and British Academy/Leverhulme. </span></em></p>Shared parental leave can make a huge difference to all parents – not just families with two biological parents.Emma Banister, Senior Lecturer, University of ManchesterBen Kerrane, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/940132018-04-11T10:45:50Z2018-04-11T10:45:50ZWomen earn less after they have kids, despite strong credentials<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/214159/original/file-20180410-543-1789cxw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A working mom, off the clock</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-happy-young-family-mother-kids-273907490?src=FWEKiw4_M0Ju2fyHCIva0Q-2-6">dotshock/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Women without kids have <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/2657415?origin=crossref&seq=1">earned more</a> than employed mothers for decades or longer. But differences between these two kinds of workers, in terms of the <a href="http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/05/06/the-new-demography-of-american-motherhood/">education under their belts</a> and the job experience on their resumes, are diminishing. </p>
<p>This manifestation of inequality is becoming a bigger problem, since the number of <a href="https://iwpr.org/publications/mothers-earn-just-71-percent-fathers-earn/">families relying</a> on the income these working parents take home is growing. The share of moms who make money has soared from <a href="https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?fm">47 percent in 1975 to 70 percent in 2016</a>. </p>
<p>And the persistence of this disparity is a bit baffling because moms have stepped up their game by attaining higher levels of education and gaining work experience over the last 20 years. Based on my many years of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Jc-a1IwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">research</a> on how motherhood affects women’s paychecks, I’m certain that there are policies that can help fix this problem. </p>
<h2>Long-term gaps</h2>
<p>To try to understand the scope of this problem, I teamed up with economists <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marta-murray-close-2355b618/">Marta Murray-Close</a> and <a href="https://www.umass.edu/economics/graduate/current-graduate-student/jee">Eunjung Jee</a> to do a <a href="http://equitablegrowth.org/working-papers/motherhood-penalties/">study</a> sponsored by the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a think tank. By reviewing <a href="https://psidonline.isr.umich.edu/">federal data</a> pertaining to the earnings of about 14,000 women, we found out that mothers’ wages are even lower than we’d expected, even when they put time into their education and careers. </p>
<p>Moms and women without kids have both ratcheted up their educational credentials. But mothers, as it turns out, have gained more.</p>
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<p>Because mothers in the workplace are, on average, about five years older than childless women, they usually have had more job experience – but working moms have also ramped up their job qualifications over time.</p>
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<p>Yet moms with three kids earn about 18 percent less than childless women, and those with two kids take home wages that are about 13 percent lower. </p>
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<h2>What’s going on?</h2>
<p>It surprised us to see not only that working moms with just one kid still earn less, but also that the gap between their wages and those made by childless women has gotten even bigger in the past 30 years. </p>
<p>And this difference is not about parenthood, but really about gender and parenthood. While <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/000282802320191606">mothers</a> generally earn less than childless women, <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0891243207311593">fathers</a> typically earn more than men without kids.</p>
<p>What economists call the “<a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/24461670?casa_token=Q1lZCePlF6QAAAAA:5R6WpXO-8UdbKXGYyhcELy0MA8Fe8zQLkKAuUiMbgvaaS6hEgRXGVL7GFlJAco4KbikBdzPxU2ENy18t-WUa6o85hyJZEF0Ro7IRhnpALajTLsepAQ&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">gender wage gap</a>,” the difference between what men and women with similar qualifications earn for comparable work, is about parenthood too. </p>
<p>Discrimination may not explain all of these differences in wages, but it probably accounts for some of them.</p>
<p>For one thing, employers are <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/511799">less likely</a> to respond to job applications – using the exact same resume – if the resume notes that a woman belongs to a parent-teacher organization. Mothers are also offered lower wages. </p>
<h2>Some solutions</h2>
<p>Are mothers’ wages penalized to the same degree everywhere? No, in fact, many countries have reduced this mommy penalty or even equalized pay between childless women and mothers. Research I’ve done with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=nffazDwAAAAJ&hl=en">Michelle Budig</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mfei5d4AAAAJ&hl=en">Irene Boeckmann</a> bears this out. </p>
<p>Consider what we learned about <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0730888415615385">how things work in Sweden</a>. There, 86 percent of children between the ages of three and six, as well as 41 percent of kids who are even younger than that, are in publicly funded child care. Swedish couples, in addition, get to take up to 50 weeks of fully paid parental leave between them, on top of seven weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave.</p>
<p>Perhaps unsurprisingly, the mommy penalty is far smaller in Sweden than the U.S. </p>
<p>That’s because child care helps working parents balance care responsibilities with employment. Whether women can take paid family leave also matters because it lets them stay in the workforce, making their caregiving responsibilities less likely to derail their careers. And when fathers also take leave, caregiving does not stigmatize women.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/94013/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joya Misra has received funding from the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and from the National Science Foundation, for work reported here. </span></em></p>This penalty can amount to more than 15 percent of a mom’s paycheck. Ramping up paid maternity leave and high-quality child care would probably help narrow the gap.Joya Misra, Professor of Sociology & Public Policy, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.