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Can parental leave be shared?

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  • Hélène Périvier

    (OFCE - Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po)

  • Gregory Verdugo

    (OFCE - Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po)

Abstract

We examine the consequences of recent policies promoting parental leave sharing using a 2015 French reform. The reform reduced the duration of mothers' paid leave to give 12 months of non transferable leave to fathers. Leave can be taken while working part-time for up to 80% of standard working hours, which can be a more attractive option for fathers. We find that the take-up rates for fathers remained low, as less than 3% of fathers took any form of leave after the reform. Surprisingly, we also find low take-up rates for fathers working part-time after the reform and for whom taking paid part-time leave would have increased their median income by 15% without requiring them to change in their labour supply. For fathers working part-time, non-take-up rates of part-time leave benefits are as high as 81% compared with less than 25% for mothers. The reform dramatically increased the annual earnings of mothers, but it had no effect on the earnings of fathers.

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  • Hélène Périvier & Gregory Verdugo, 2021. "Can parental leave be shared?," Working Papers hal-03364048, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-03364048
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-03364048
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    Cited by:

    1. Stephen Bazen & Xavier Joutard & Hélène Périvier, 2021. "Measuring the Child Penalty Early in a Career," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03451099, HAL.
    2. Bazen, Stephen & Joutard, Xavier & Périvier, Hélène, 2021. "Measuring the Child Penalty Early in a Career: The Case of Young Adults in France," IZA Discussion Papers 14763, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Céline Piton, 2022. "The labour market performance of vulnerable groups: towards a better understanding of the main driving forces," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/352519, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.

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    parental leave; labor supply; gender inequality;
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