Can an egalitarian reform in the parental leave system reduce the motherhood labor penalty? Some evidence from Spain

Abstract

The article analyzes how an egalitarian reform in the parental leave system may reduce the mother‑ hood penalty. We used a sample of heterosexual dual‑earner couples, with children between 3‑8 years old, residing in Madrid and its metropolitan area. We show, first, that the introduction of a 13‑day paternity leave increased significantly the average number of days that employed fathers were off work after the birth or adoption of a child. Second, we found some empirical evidence that fathers who took longer leaves tended to be subsequently more involved in the care of their children. And third, we obtained some evidence in favor of the hypotheses that when the father is actively involved in the care of his child the mother tends to experience less work penalty. We also considered the effect of other variables such as having egalitarian gender attitu‑ des, working in a family‑friendly company, earnings and the working week.