The effect of social gender norms on parental leave uptake intentions: evidence from two survey experiments on prospective fathers and mothers

• Published in: Applied economics Vol. 55; no. 53; pp. 6277 - 6293
• Main Authors: Agerström, Jens, Carlsson, Magnus, Erenel, Asuman
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 14.11.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Between-subjects design; Childbirth & labor; Children; Economic analysis; Economic theory; Economics; Family leave; First year; Gender; gender equality; Gender roles; Nationalekonomi; Parental leave usage; Parents & parenting; Polls & surveys; social gender norms; survey experiment; Uptake
• ISSN: 0003-6846; 1466-4283; 1466-4283
• DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2022.2142192

We investigate how social gender norms influence parental leave uptake intentions by conducting two separate survey experiments on prospective fathers (N = 877) and mothers (N = 882) in the UK. In a between-subjects design, we manipulate social gender norms by varying information on the average number of days that other fathers and mothers stay at home to take care of a child during the first year after childbirth. We find that when prospective parents (both genders) are exposed to the low staying-home-with-children norm, they plan less parental leave uptake compared to the control (no norm) group. When exposed to the high staying-home-with-children norm, men (but not women) plan more parental leave uptake compared to the control group. We discuss policy implications and suggest directions for future studies.