Attitudes about Paid Parental Leave in the United States

Li, Qi; Knoester, Chris; Petts, Richard J.

doi:10.1080/00380237.2021.2012861

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…of the relationship between gender ideology and support for paid parental leave. While past research suggests egalitarianism is associated with greater support for parental leave (Li et al 2022), our findings suggest that the relationship is more complicated depending on the dimension of gender ideology and the gender of the parent taking leave. To encourage support for longer periods of paid parental leave and more gender equal leave-taking, policies should focus on increasing support for fathers as caregivers.…”

Section: Declaration Of Conflicting Interestscontrasting

confidence: 81%

“…In looking at the relationship between gender ideology and attitudes toward parental leave, we expand on previous studies (e.g., Li et al 2022) by including a wider range of gender attitudes and an expanded set of variables measuring attitudes toward paid leave. We found two patterns that suggest egalitarian gender ideology is associated with support for longer paternity leave and a smaller gap between desired maternity and paternity leave.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to a lack of widespread access to paid parental leave, stigmas and penalties surrounding leave-taking persist due to the importance of ideal worker norms in the US (Kramer, Pak, and Park 2022; Petts, Mize, and Kaufman 2022). Americans are overall supportive of paid parental leave policies, but there is disagreement about where these policies should come from (government vs employers) as well as negative attitudes toward workers who utilize such policies (Li, Knoester, and Petts 2022; Sanzari, Dennis, and Moss-Racusin 2021). More research is needed to understand both attitudes toward leave policies and attitudes toward leave-taking to assess what might be driving these discrepancies and inform policies that may be more widely supported.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Broadly defined, egalitarian gender attitudes may incorporate greater support for paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers and greater support for workers who take leave, as paid parental leave can promote greater gender equality by encouraging women to return to employment (Akgunduz and Plantenga 2013) and men to engage in more housework and childcare (Kotsadam and Finseraas 2011; Schober 2014). In contrast, given that traditional gender attitudes promote a separate spheres family model, they may be associated with less support for paid parental leave (Li et al 2022). Yet, there has been limited research on the association between gender attitudes and attitudes toward parental leave, with recent work focusing on the association between a limited number of gender attitudes and paid parental leave without consideration toward differences in attitudes toward mothers’ and fathers’ leave-taking (Li et al 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gender Egalitarianism and Attitudes Toward Parental Leave

Kaufman,

Petts,

Mize

et al. 2023

Social Currents

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This paper examines the relationship between gender ideology and attitudes toward parental leave. We use data from two original survey experiments with a total analytic sample of 3332 respondents. Using an experimental design where participants evaluate a new parent’s decision about taking parental leave in light of the employer’s leave policies, and answer attitudinal questions about leave and gender ideology, we assess the associations between gender ideology and (a) desired weeks of parental leave for mothers and fathers, as well as (b) perceptions of whether the new parent described in the experiment took too little or too much leave. We find that participants think fathers should receive 10.5 weeks of paid paternity leave, whereas mothers should receive 16 weeks of paid maternity leave. In general, those with egalitarian gender ideals support longer paternity leave and more equal periods of leave for mothers and fathers—and are more likely to think that men workers take too little leave. However, those who support mothers as financial providers are more likely to think that women workers take too much leave, demonstrating the complexities between dimensions of gender ideology, the gender of the parent taking leave, and views of parental leave.

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Section: Declaration Of Conflicting Interestscontrasting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gender Egalitarianism and Attitudes Toward Parental Leave

Kaufman,

Petts,

Mize

et al. 2023

Social Currents

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“…Americans are largely supportive of paid parental leave (Li et al, 2022), and policymakers are strongly considering implementing a national paid parental leave policy in the United States. Enacting a national paid leave policy will go a long way in helping parents to better balance work and family life, enabling mothers to maintain careers, and providing opportunities for fathers to be more engaged in family life.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental leave‐taking and perceptions of workers as good parents

Petts

Kaufman

Mize

2022

J of Marriage and Family

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Objective This study examines whether parental leave‐taking affects perceptions of workers as good parents, and whether this relationship varies between mothers and fathers. Background Contemporary parenthood norms promote intensive parenting, but pressures to engage in intensive parenting are more pronounced for mothers than fathers. Paid parental leave policies have the potential to improve gender equality, but only if such policies help to change gendered parenting norms. We assess whether leave‐taking further entrenches gendered parenting norms within workplaces or promotes greater perceptions of good parenting among fathers. Method We use combined data on 3333 respondents from two survey experiments in which parental leave‐taking and parental gender were randomly assigned. This enables us to assess the causal effects of parental leave‐taking on perceptions of mothers and fathers as good parents. Results Mothers and fathers in married, different‐sex partnerships are more likely to be viewed as good parents when they take longer periods of leave. Also, the positive effects of leave‐taking on perceptions of workers as good parents are stronger for fathers than for mothers—but only for short amounts of leave taken. Conclusion Greater access to, and use of, paid parental leave may enable more parents to be perceived as fulfilling contemporary parenting norms, and may especially increase the likelihood that fathers are viewed as good parents. As such, these policies may help to change gendered perceptions of parenting and promote greater gender equality.

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