Time and Money: Parental Leave Generosity and First-Time Parents’ Uptake of Leave across 23 European Countries

Nathan Robbins , Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

Using cross-national European data, I assess how paid leave generosity influences mothers’ and fathers’ use and duration of leave in the years following the transition to parenthood. Though more generous leave policies lead to longer leaves at the national level, little is known about how leave generosity influences individuals and couples. Using data from 23 countries in the European Union Labor Force Survey and from the 2018 Work-Family Reconciliation Ad-Hoc Module, I examine couples who recently made the transition to parenthood, their likelihood of taking any leave of one month or more, and the overall length of the leave they take. Results indicate no association between leave generosity and mothers' uptake nor length of leave. Fathers take longer leaves as policy generosity increases, and this increase is greater for lower-income fathers. I discuss policy implications and potential impacts on families in relation to gender, class, and employment.

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 Presented in Session 103. Parental Leave