Gender Equality and Social Policy

Abstract

This article evaluates the effectiveness of parental leave as a social policy designed to eliminate the traditional, gender-based division of labor. It examines whether fathers' taking parental leave equalizes women's and men's involvement in the labor market and in child care once the leave is over. Results from a 1986 study of 319 sets of new parents in Gothenburg, Sweden were analyzed. Fathers who took parental leave were found to be more likely to be involved in child care and to reduce their involvement in the labor force. On the other hand, mothers retained primary responsibility for children and remained less involved and rewarded in the labor market, whether or not their partners participated in parental leave. Elimination of the gender-based division of labor may require social policies that simultaneously aim to improve women's labor market opportunities, raise girls' interests in occupational achievement, and increase men's participation in child care.