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The European Parenting Leave Policies (EPLP) dataset: Leave duration entitlements for 21 countries from 1970 to 2024

Author

Listed:
  • Sonja Spitzer

    (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften)

  • Adèle Lemoine

    (Vienna Institute of Demography (Austrian Academy of Sciences))

  • Zhanxiong Song

    (Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED))

  • Claudia Reiter

    (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften)

  • Angela Greulich

    (Sciences Po)

  • Agneta Herlitz

    (Karolinska Institutet)

  • Alžběta Bártová

    (Universiteit Leiden)

  • Elisa Brini

    (Università degli Studi di Firenze)

  • Zuzana Dančíková

    (London School of Economics and Political Science)

  • Dovilė Galdauskaitė

    (Vytauto Didžiojo Universitetas (Vytautas Magnus University))

  • Libertad González

    (Barcelona School of Economics (BSE))

  • Evi Hatzivarnava-Kazassi

    (Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences)

  • Helena Honkaniemi

    (Stockholms Universitet)

  • Sol Pía Juárez

    (Stockholms Universitet)

  • Rannveig Kaldager Hart

    (Universitetet i Oslo)

  • Ida Lykke Kristiansen

    (Københavns Universitet)

  • Anna Kurowska

    (Uniwersytet Warszawski)

  • Katre Pall

    (PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies)

  • Barbara Pertold-Gebicka

    (Charles University)

  • Tatjana Rakar

    (Univerza v Ljubljani)

  • Tapio Räsänen

    (Kela)

  • Konstantina Rentzou

    (University of Ioannina)

  • Pedro Romero Balsas

    (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)

  • Eva-Maria Schmidt

    (Universität Wien)

  • Laurène Thil

    (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)

  • Dora Tuda

    (Economic and Social Research Institute)

  • Lili Vargha

    (Universität Wien)

  • Daniele Vignoli

    (Università degli Studi di Firenze)

  • Sander Wagner

    (University of Oxford)

  • Katharina Wrohlich

    (Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW))

Abstract

Background: Parenting leave policies shape how caregiving and paid work can be reconciled around the time of childbirth. They have important implications for fertility, employment, and gender equality. Still, there are limited quantitative cross-country data capturing long-term policy changes that impact how long parents can temporarily be away from work to care for their children, and how leave can be shared between them. Objective: The European Parenting Leave Policies (EPLP) Dataset provides harmonised regulations on maternity, co-parent, paid parental, and job-protected leave across 21 European countries from 1970 to 2024. It focuses on policies that shape how long birth mothers and their co-parents can take leave. Methods: Statutory leave entitlements were compiled from national legal sources, official government publications, and secondary literature. We followed a consistent set of data collection rules to enable comparison across countries and over time. Because the dataset focuses on time away from the job, it considers only rights for employed parents. It includes 33 variables and also documents country-specific reform timelines. Contribution: The EPLP Dataset fills a gap in existing data sources by providing quantitative data across 55 years on policies that shape how long parents stay at home around birth and how leave is shared between them. In addition to leave duration and benefits, it covers recent policy instruments such as incentives for parents to share leave, and timing and flexibility of leave use. The dataset enables cross-national comparisons and the analysis of changes over time, and can be used to study the effects of policy reforms.

Suggested Citation

  • Sonja Spitzer & Adèle Lemoine & Zhanxiong Song & Claudia Reiter & Angela Greulich & Agneta Herlitz & Alžběta Bártová & Elisa Brini & Zuzana Dančíková & Dovilė Galdauskaitė & Libertad González & Evi Ha, 2026. "The European Parenting Leave Policies (EPLP) dataset: Leave duration entitlements for 21 countries from 1970 to 2024," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 54(31), pages 987-1008.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:54:y:2026:i:31
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2026.54.31
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    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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