ZOOM:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87625455340
Meeting ID: 876 2545 5340
Passcode: 591201

Authors: Lídia Farré, Christina Felfe, Libertad González, and Patrick Schneider

Abstract

We study whether a policy that increased fathers’ involvement in early childcare affected children’s gender attitudes and behaviors. We exploit the introduction of paid paternity leave in Spain in 2007, which granted fathers 13 days of non-transferable paid leave after childbirth. Eligibility depended sharply on the child’s date of birth. We combine this policy variation with original survey data collected from adolescents and implement a within-school difference-in-differences design comparing children born just before and after the reform cutoff within the same school cohort, using adjacent cohorts as controls. Children exposed to paternity leave display more egalitarian gender attitudes and beliefs in early adolescence. They are also more likely to engage in counter-stereotypical household chores and to hold less gender-stereotypical expectations regarding future work and family roles. The effects largely disappear by age 17. Additional evidence suggests that paternity leave increased fathers’ long-run involvement in childcare and housework.