Time to care

Socioeconomic, Family, and Workplace Factors in Men and Women's Parental Leave Use

Bibliographic Data

ID2172501
AuthorsMiriam Barcus (University of Wisconsin–Madison), Leann M Tigges, Leann Tigges (University of Wisconsin–Madison), Jungmyung Kim (0000-0002-0211-9422, University of Wisconsin–Madison)
Year2019
Volume22
Issue4
Pages443-464
Publication date2019-08-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCommunity Work & Family (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1366-8803 • E-ISSN: 1469-3615
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13668803.2019.1629876
OpenAlexW2968637201
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited39

Parental leave has important benefits for women, men, and families. This study examines how individual, family, and workplace factors are associated with the length of parental leaves taken by workers in diverse jobs and work contexts, but with the same employer, focusing on gender differences in the factors associated with longer parental leaves. The data are the result of a collaboration between university researchers and a municipal employer. We find that gender was a major driver of the duration of parental leaves for these workers, who must use their accumulated paid time off or take unpaid leave for parental leave; women's leaves were almost three times longer than men's. We also find gender differences in the factors associated with leave duration. For women, socioeconomic status seemed to matter most, while for men, family and workplace context influenced leave length. The results indicate the centrality of financial considerations in parents' leave decisions, reinforcing the importance of having a dedicated paid parental leave policy. We argue that paid parental leaves would help reduce disparities between and within genders at work and in the family

Centrality · Context (archaeology · Demographic economics · Duration (music · Economics · Family Leave · Family medicine · Family member · Gender equality · Geography · Parental leave · Population · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Work (physics · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Medicine · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Demography · Gender Studies

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