Policy as normative influence? On the relationship between parental leave policy and social norms in gender division of childcare across 48 countries

In the present work, we addressed the relationship between parental leave policies and social norms. Using a pre-registered, cross-national approach, we examined the relationship between parental leave policies and the perception of social norms for the gender division of childcare. In this study, 19,259 students (11,924 women) from 48 countries indicated the degree to which they believe childcare is (descriptive norm) and should be (prescriptive norm) equally divided among mothers and fathers. Policies were primarily operationalized as the existence of parental leave options in the respective country. The descriptive and prescriptive norms of equal division of childcare were stronger when parental leave was available in a country - also when controlling for potential confounding variables. Moreover, analyses of time since policy change suggested that policy change may initially affect prescriptive norms and then descriptive norms at a later point. However, due to the cross-sectional nature of the data, drawing causal inferences is difficult.

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Journal
British Journal of Social Psychology
Published
2024-10-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12806
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Work-Family Balance Challenges
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
4.53

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article

Policy as normative influence? On the relationship between parental leave policy and social norms in gender division of childcare across 48 countries

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4 citations
British Journal of Social Psychology
Work-Family Balance Challenges
4.53
article

Policy as normative influence? On the relationship between parental leave policy and social norms in gender division of childcare across 48 countries

Dana Gavreliuc, Rita Anne McNamara, Tabea Häßler, Abiy Menkir Gizaw, Roberto González, Vladimíra Čavojová, Christina Lapytskaia Aidy, Ömer Erdem Koçak, Emma A. Renström, Adriana L. Germano, Janine Bosak, Sarah E. Martiny, Jennifer R. Steele, Maria I. T. Olsson, Sanne Van Grootel, Toni Schmader, David Haruna Mrisho, Isaac David Grijalva, TamilSelvan Ramis, Lianne Aarntzen, Adil Samekin, Thierry Devos, Isabelle Régner, Teri A. Kirby, Austin Y. Hubner, Nilanjana Dasgupta, Nitya Rani, Rasa Erentaitė, Eunsoo Choi, Sabine Sczesny, Federica Spaccatini, Renzo Gismondi Diaz, Natasza Kosakowska‐Berezecka, Derya Güngör, Carlos C. Contreras‐Ibáñez, Filiz Künüroğlu, Ines Sučić, Maria Giuseppina Pacilli, Jacques Berent, Nada Pop‐Jordanova, Vanessa Smith‐Castro, Soledad de Lemus, Sabine Otten, Amanda B. Diekman, Alba Jasini, Denisa Fedáková, Fridanna Maricchiolo, Carolin Scheifele, Simon Schindler, Marion K. Schulmeyer, Edona Maloku, Marwan Diab, Ilan Dar‐Nimrod, Joel Anderson, Narseta Mickuvienė, Julija Gečaitė-Stončienė, María Isabel Miranda‐Orrego, Inna Kozytska, Alyson Meister, Liany Luzvinda, Tizita Lemma Melka, Levke Henningsen, Wilson López‐López, Iris Žeželj, Anna Lindqvist, Joseph A. Vandello, Jana Nikitin, Rim Saab, Mare Ainsaar, Ciara Atkinson, Léïla Eisner, Alyssa Croft, Diala R. Hawi, Lyudmila Gitikhmayeva, Delphine Martinot, Ana Perandrés‐Gómez, Melanie C. Steffens, Ivan Danyliuk, Eva Vives, James Morandini, Andrew N. Coogan, Molly Shuyi Sun, Jennifer K. Bosson, Jon Pizarro, Leire Gartzia, Alin Gavreliuc, Renata Franc, Melissa Vink, Keiko Ishii, Yoko Kitakaji, Magdalena Adamus, Laura Maria Velásquez‐Díaz, Kaltrina Kelmendi, Bushra Hassan, Joanna Pyrkosz‐Pacyna, Omar Martínez González, Turuwark Zalalam Warkineh, Incheol Choi, David Sirlopú, Xian Zhao, Monica Biernat, Andreea Georgiana Bîrneanu, Elizabeth Page‐Gould, Hilary B. Bergsieker, Tatiana Ryabichenko, Colette van Laar, Kadri Soo, Carolin Schuster, Adrian Rivera‐Rodriguez, Biljana Gjoneska, Tessa Benson‐Greenwald, Ilaria Giovannelli, Eva Kundtová Klocová, Clara Kulich, Katharina Block, Yasin Koç, Przemysław Bąbel, Jurgita Jurkevičienė, Blerta Bodinaku, Markus Barth, Julius Burkauskas, Kiriko Sakata, Ivana Jakšić, Marija Branković, Laura Froehlich, Sapna Cheryan, Sandrine Redersdorff, Thadeus Mkamwa, Annedore Hoppe, Sameir Quta, Charles Harb, Loes Meeussen, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Albert Lee, William M. Hall, Maria Efremova, Marie Gustafsson Sendén, Mohamad Avicenna, Thomas A. Morton, Anja Eller, Rocha‐Sánchez Tania Esmeralda, Tracy Sánchez‐Pacheco
article en
4 citations

Abstract

In the present work, we addressed the relationship between parental leave policies and social norms. Using a pre-registered, cross-national approach, we examined the relationship between parental leave policies and the perception of social norms for the gender division of childcare. In this study, 19,259 students (11,924 women) from 48 countries indicated the degree to which they believe childcare is (descriptive norm) and should be (prescriptive norm) equally divided among mothers and fathers. Policies were primarily operationalized as the existence of parental leave options in the respective country. The descriptive and prescriptive norms of equal division of childcare were stronger when parental leave was available in a country - also when controlling for potential confounding variables. Moreover, analyses of time since policy change suggested that policy change may initially affect prescriptive norms and then descriptive norms at a later point. However, due to the cross-sectional nature of the data, drawing causal inferences is difficult.

British Journal of Social PsychologyVol. 64(2)
L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (KZ), Leuphana University of Lüneburg (DE), University of Geneva (CH), National Research University Higher School of Economics (RU), University of Bern (CH), Roma Tre University (IT), FernUniversität in Hagen (DE), International Islamic University, Islamabad (PK), University of Copenhagen (DK), Jagiellonian University (PL), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), The University of Sydney (AU), University of Vienna (AT), Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LT), Universidad de Deusto (ES), University of Arizona (US), Seoul National University (KR), University of British Columbia (CA), University of Kansas (US), University of Waterloo (CA), Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta (ID), National University of Ireland, Maynooth (IE), St. Augustine University of Tanzania (TZ), Stockholm University (SE), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (CL), University of Sussex (GB), University of Groningen (NL), Singidunum University (RS), Osnabrück University (DE), Kaunas University of Technology (LT), Nanyang Technological University (SG), Universidad de Granada (ES), Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MK), Shenzhen University (CN), Islamic University of Gaza (PS), Hiroshima University of Economics (JP), University of Toronto (CA), Brock University (CA), Lund University (SE), Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (UA), York University (CA), Utrecht University (NL), La Trobe University (AU), Korea University (KR), Université Clermont Auvergne (FR), Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (MX), University of Washington (US), University of Zurich (CH), Hochschule Bielefeld (DE), Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), Masaryk University (CZ), Aix-Marseille Université (FR), Purdue University West Lafayette (US), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (CO), University of Exeter (GB), University of Massachusetts Amherst (US), Izmir Kâtip Çelebi University (TR), Stellenbosch University (ZA), University of South Florida (US), San Diego State University (US), University of Perugia (IT), Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (QA), Business School Lausanne (CH), Research Foundation - Flanders (BE), University of Koblenz and Landau (DE), West University of Timişoara (RO), San Sebastián University (CL), Istanbul Medipol University (TR), Universidad de Costa Rica (CR), Yale University (US), University of Chieti-Pescara (IT), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (EC), University of Gdańsk (PL), University of Belgrade (RS), Victoria University of Wellington (NZ), Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra (BO), Rochester Institute of Technology Kosovo (XK), Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (NO), Ohio University (US), Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive (FR), University of Inland Norway (NO), Indiana University Bloomington (US), Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences (DE), Maqsut Narikbayev University (KZ), Institut Društvenih Znanosti Ivo Pilar (HR), Thomas More Kempen (BE), Dublin City University (IE), Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau (DE), University of Tartu (EE), Bahir Dar University (ET), Nagoya University (JP), AGH University of Krakow (PL), University of Tirana (AL), UiT The Arctic University of Norway (NO), University of Prishtina (XK), Sunway University (MY), Australian Catholic University (AU), University of Gothenburg (SE), University of Amsterdam (NL), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), Leipzig University (DE), American University of Beirut (LB), KU Leuven (BE)
National Science Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Canada Research Chairs, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Agentúra na Podporu Výskumu a Vývoja, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Masarykova Univerzita, Jilin Office of Philosophy and Social Science, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Centro de Estudios de Conflicto y Cohesión Social, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Economic and Social Research Council, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, Fondo de Financiamiento de Centros de Investigación en Áreas Prioritarias
Gender equality
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Work-Family Balance Challenges
4.53
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