Policy settings can substantially impact on gender equality and the role of men and women in parenting and the workforce. In this Apolitical article, quotas are shown to be impactful and effective. Their “use-it-or-lose it” paternal leave quota gives fathers 15 weeks non-transferable parental leave. The research shows that fathers taking time off to be with new borns grew from 3% prior to the policy to the current 90% - substantially improving father-child bonding. The policy has also been seen to improve women’s workforce participation and contribute to evolving the role of men in household and caregiving duties. Read the full article here or an extract below.
Extract: Before the introduction of a quota, men took very little leave, which disadvantaged women in the workplace —a phenomenon known as “the motherhood penalty”. In 1990, the share of women 15 and older in the workplace stood at just 62.4%. “It was a policy success,” … “Fathers started taking leave, and it has probably had an effect in terms of the cultural norms around parenting… in Norway today, it would be very hard to insist on just being the breadwinner and not caring about the children.”