Designing gender-equalizing parental leave schemes - What can we learn from recent empirical evidence from Europe?

Abstract

This article conducts a systematic review exploring the link between parental leave policies and the gender division of labour. The reviewed material encompasses quantitative empirical articles that study the effect of a variation in leave policies on mothers' integration into the labour market and on fathers' engagement in family work. The analysis focuses on studies that were (i) conducted between January 2000 and May 2014, (ii) conducted in European countries, (iii) published in peer-reviewed journals and (iv) written in English or German. The analysis suggests that there are several aspects of parental leave that seem to be especially relevant in designing genderequalizing parental leave schemes. With regard to the effects of leave on mothers' employment, it seems crucial that the duration of leave and payments provided is of a moderate length. With regard to the effects of leave on fathers' engagement in family work, it seems most important to provide leave that is explicitly reserved for fathers. In addition, studies consistently find that leave policies affect women very differently with regard to their levels of education and income.