Can Public Policies Break the Gender Mold? Evidence from Paternity Leave Reforms in Six Countries

Sébastien Fontenay and Libertad González Luna ()
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Libertad González Luna: https://www.upf.edu/web/econ/faculty/-/asset_publisher/6aWmmXf28uXT/persona/id/3418989

Economics Working Papers from Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Abstract: We investigate the impact of paternity leave policies on gender role attitudes in the next generation. We measure gender-stereotypical attitudes using an Implicit Association Test with 3,000 online respondents in six countries. Using an RD design, we observe a significant reduction (-0.20 SD) in gender-stereotypical attitudes among men born post-paternity leave implementation. This shift influences career choices, as men whose fathers were affected by the reform are more inclined to pursue counter-stereotypical jobs, particularly in high-skilled occupations like healthcare and education. Our findings highlight how paternity leave fosters egalitarian gender norms and affects the occupational choices of the next generation.

Keywords: gender norms; paternity leave; female-dominated occupations; regression discontinuity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J08 J13 J16 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-hea and nep-lab
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:upf:upfgen:1879

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