Childcare by Fathers in the Context of Active Father-Oriented Policies

Abstract

Abstract Around the world there is increasing interest in men’s contribution to parenting and caregiving, both as a way to address the lack of equitable distribution in unpaid care work and in recognition of caregiving as a natural part of men’s lives. Men as fathers have been the focus in the last decades of much academic research and of new policy initiatives, including reforms of the parental leave systems which favor a more gender-equal division of leave. This chapter investigates how the development of leaves for fathers supports the involvement of fathers in childcare. The chapter first discusses the political and cultural factors that have contributed to the increasing interest in active fatherhood, before showing how the Nordic region has been the pioneer in introducing parental leave and the father’s quota. Outcomes of fathers’ leave rights are presented on the basis of two outcome indicators: fathers’ time use and their take-up of parental leave. The authors apply data from the OECD Family Database, supplemented with data from the International Network on Leave Policy and Research. The findings show that mothers still provide the lion’s share of parental care, but there are clear signs that fathers are carving out a larger space for caring for their children. The authors argue that the individual right to parental leave, a reasonable compensation level for the leave benefits, and, in particular, the father’s quota are all effective policy instruments that contribute to active fatherhood.