Supporting Fathers' Care Work: Political Actors, Policy Priorities, and Parental Leave Reforms

• In Event: 4132 - Neoliberal Welfare States: Substantive and Theoretical Issues

Abstract

When do countries recognize fathers as caregivers under leave law? Since the 1970s many affluent democracies have extended paid leave rights to fathers by adopting paternity and parental leave policies. Such reforms signify a “path shift” as countries break from breadwinner- or market-oriented family policy models and move toward dual earner-carer models. Despite considerable cross-country differences in leave generosity and the timing of leave policy adoption, large-scale quantitative analyses on the sources of family policy are surprisingly rare. Using event history methods, this paper assesses how different political actors affect the timing of paternity and parental leave policy adoption from 1965 to 2011 across 22 affluent democracies. The unique data set draws on multiple sources, including the author’s compilation of leave policy histories. Preliminary findings show that the presence of confessional-right parties and women in parliament are important for the development of leave for fathers, particularly for the creation and extension of time with family. For individual entitlements to parental leave – a provision with clear gender egalitarian aims – left parties and trade union institutional strength are additional sources of policy reform. Results suggest that social reforms are nestled in a ranked list of policy priorities that shift according to the relative strength of political actors and the share of different parties in government. Ultimately, the paper confirms the multi-dimensionality of family policies and enhances family policy development explanations by emphasizing policy priorities as a mechanism of political actors’ policy influence.

Author

• Cassandra Engeman, Stockholm University