M. Bygren, A-Z. Duvander, T. Ferrarini 2011
Pp. 207-230 in Drobnic, S. and Guillén, A. (eds.) M. Work-Life Balance in Europe – The Role of Job Quality Palgrave Publishers Ltd.
Abstract
We analyze the relationships between parents’ paid work and active time with children in countries with different family policy institutions. Combining individual level data on parents’ active time with children and in work from the Multinational Time Use Study (MTUS) with information on family policy legislation, we find parental active time with children to be the smallest in countries without institutionalized family policies, and it to increase with earner-carer family policies and traditional family policies, primarily because women spend more active time with their children in countries with institutionalized family policies. Earner-carer family policies are accompanied by a slightly smaller mother-father gap in parental time with children. Family policy effects are to a large extent mediated through the patterns of labour market participation of mothers and fathers.
