Making Parenting Leave Accessible to Fathers: Political Actors and New Social Rights, 1965–2016

Abstract

Abstract In recent decades, governments have created and expanded paid leave rights for fathers, but policies have developed along different timelines and trajectories. Using event history methods, this research investigates the timing of fathers’ leave rights adoption across twenty-two countries from 1965 to 2016. With a focus on “first laws,” the findings support explanations of family policy development that emphasize political actors. Specifically, results suggest leftist parties and institutions are important for the adoption of nontransferable leave, a hallmark of gender egalitarian family policy models. However, new leave rights-adoption is sensitive to incremental increases in confessional-right party power, indicating possible negotiations between partisan actors. Finally, results suggest a role for women lawmakers but only for transferable parenting leave, which is often taken by mothers, complicating previous research on the role of women lawmakers in family policy development. Overall, results underscore the need to distinguish between social provisions when examining their drivers.