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Fathers' Time-Use while on Paternity Leave: Childcare or Leisure?

Author

Listed:
  • Libertad González
  • Luis Guirola
  • Laura Hospido

Abstract

We provide evidence of fathers' time-use during paternity leave by studying the timing of paternity leave spells around a large sports event with strong male following: the 2022 Soccer World Cup. We use administrative data from Spain, a country with generous paternity leave policies and a strong following of soccer competitions. Our data cover the universe of paternity (and maternity) leave spells, and we exploit the exact dates of the 2022 World Cup in a difference-in-differences framework. We show that, during the exact dates of the Qatar World Cup (November 20-December 18, 2022), there was a daily excess of more than 1,000 men on paternity leave (1.3%), relative to the surrounding dates, and using the year before and after as controls (for seasonality). We also show in triple-differences specifications that this excess is not present in maternity leave spells, or in paternity leave spells among self-employed workers (with much more flexible schedules). We interpret these results as direct evidence that (at least a fraction of) fathers use paternity leave for purposes unrelated to childcare.

Suggested Citation

  • Libertad González & Luis Guirola & Laura Hospido, 2024. "Fathers' Time-Use while on Paternity Leave: Childcare or Leisure?," Working Papers 1463, Barcelona School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:bge:wpaper:1463
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Azmat, Ghazala & González, Libertad, 2010. "Targeting fertility and female participation through the income tax," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 487-502, June.
    5. Simone Moriconi & Núria Rodriguez-Planas & Núria Rodríguez-Planas, 2021. "Gender Norms and the Motherhood Employment Gap," CESifo Working Paper Series 9471, CESifo.
    6. Claudia Olivetti & Barbara Petrongolo, 2017. "The Economic Consequences of Family Policies: Lessons from a Century of Legislation," Working Papers 811, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    7. Claudia Olivetti & Barbara Petrongolo, 2017. "The Economic Consequences of Family Policies: Lessons from a Century of Legislation in High-Income Countries," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(1), pages 205-230, Winter.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carnicelli, Lauro & Morando, Greta, 2025. "The Unequal Motherhood Penalty: Maternal Preferences and Education," IZA Discussion Papers 18140, IZA Network @ LISER.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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