Intergenerational Spillovers of Paternity Leave

Informazioni relative al progetto

Leave4NextGen

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101104848

DOI

10.3030/101104848

Progetto chiuso

Data della firma CE 26 Aprile 2023

Data di avvio 1 Ottobre 2023

Data di completamento 31 Dicembre 2025

Finanziato da

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Costo totale

Nessun dato

Contributo UE

€ 165 312,96

Coordinato da

UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Leave4NextGen (Intergenerational Spillovers of Paternity Leave)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-10-01 al 2025-12-31

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

Persistent gender inequality in labor markets is partly driven by the unequal division of childcare following childbirth. To address this, many European countries have introduced paternity leave policies to encourage greater father involvement. While previous research shows such policies can change parental behavior, a critical question remained: do these changes have lasting, intergenerational effects? This MSCA project aimed to investigate whether paternity leave policies influence the gender attitudes and life choices of the next generation. Specifically, the objectives were to determine if: (1) exposure to a father eligible for paternity leave promotes more egalitarian gender-role attitudes in young adults, and (2) this translates into measurable changes in their educational, career, and family-formation decisions. The project leveraged natural experiments created by paternity leave reforms in several EU countries.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

The project combined quasi-experimental econometric methods with large-scale survey and administrative data. Two primary studies were conducted. The first analyzed Belgium’s 2002 paternity leave reform using a Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) and population-level administrative data. It confirmed the reform durably increased fathers’ daily childcare time. However, tracking children into early adulthood revealed no significant effects on their educational attainment (middle/high school completion, PISA scores), early labor market outcomes (employment, wages), or early family formation (cohabitation, parenthood). The second study expanded the scope to six European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Norway, Sweden). Using an RDD and data from the “Project Implicit” platform, it measured subconscious gender attitudes via an Implicit Association Test (IAT). This research found that sons—but not daughters—exposed to fathers eligible for paternity leave developed significantly less gender-stereotypical attitudes. Follow-up analysis with EU-SILC survey data indicated these attitudinal shifts had behavioral consequences: affected sons in Scandinavia were more likely to enter high-skilled, female-dominated occupations (e.g. in healthcare or education).

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

This research provides novel evidence on the intergenerational impacts of family policy. First, it demonstrates that while increased paternal involvement due to paternity leave does not harm child development (addressing concerns from earlier studies), it also does not generate detectable advantages in traditional human capital outcomes by early adulthood. This precise “null result” is itself a significant contribution, ruling out even small effect sizes. Second, and more innovatively, the project reveals that paternity leave can act as a powerful tool for social change by reshaping gender norms in the next generation. It is the first study to provide cross-country, causal evidence that paternity leave reforms reduce implicit gender stereotypes among young men and encourage them to break occupational gender barriers. This moves beyond prior work focused on adolescents or educational choices, showing effects persist into adulthood and influence career paths—a key factor in long-term gender equality.

Father with child