When a working girl turns into a mom, she mechanically turns into a part of the “working mothers” collective. The identical, nonetheless, will not be true for males: The time period “working father” will not be a time period that’s generally used, though everybody understands its that means. Since language isn’t impartial, it’s simple to know why this distinction exists: According to social norms, motherhood is a main supply of id for ladies, but fatherhood will not be for males. That’s why it isn’t shocking that even the insurance policies and measures established for creating a piece, private life, and household stability have been primarily aimed toward ladies and solely residually at males.
The state of affairs, however, is slowly altering in Europe, since males additionally wish to participate in childcare and for the reason that demographic context compels them to tackle a severe function within the obligation and the correct to offer care.
Parents who adapt their work to create a stability
Research on reconciling work and household life coined the time period generally known as the “one-and-a-half earner model” to confer with the core household mannequin the place each dad and mom work however one among them (often the girl in heterosexual {couples}) reduces her working time with a purpose to tackle childcare obligations. Although this mannequin is particularly widespread in central European international locations reminiscent of Austria and Germany, the underlying reason for this mannequin (the place it’s the girl who subordinates herself, adapts and even renounces her work life with a purpose to elevate her kids) is widespread in lots of different international locations.
Thus, in Europe as an entire, about 6.4 per cent of fathers (in comparison with 34 per cent of moms) with dependent kids as much as the age of 15 have tailored their work in some main method on account of their paternity, reminiscent of decreasing their working hours, working part-time or switching to much less demanding duties. This share ranges, nonetheless, from lower than 5 per cent in many of the jap international locations as much as greater than 20 per cent within the Netherlands or Switzerland (with comparatively excessive percentages within the Nordic international locations as effectively).
Although the profile of those working dad and mom varies in keeping with the international locations, along with the kind of adaptation they make, in Europe as an entire it’s extra possible that variations have been made within the case of white-collar staff (besides managers), when the contract is momentary, within the case of the self-employed when the accomplice works greater than 40 hours and has a excessive stage of training, and after they work in “family-responsible” firms (understood as those who at the least supply time flexibility to their workers).
Actions that firms can take
During the 2019-2022 interval, the Men in Care European mission, co-funded by the European Commission, carried out actions in firms and organisations in eight European international locations to advertise male joint accountability and thereby progress in the direction of a society by which males additionally put care on the centre of their lives. The public insurance policies that almost all encourage dad and mom to begin offering care with the arrival of their first child have been studied. It was decided that international locations with non-transferable and well-paid beginning or parental depart have extra dad and mom who use them in comparison with international locations which have transferable, poorly paid, or low-capped insurance policies.
In Spain, Iceland, Norway and Slovenia, dad and mom used the advantages far more than in Germany, Austria or Poland. Since 2021, Spain has grow to be the one nation on the earth to supply non-transferable, equal depart for moms and dads. After a child’s first 12 months of life, which could be primarily lined by the completely different leaves of absence from employment, firms can promote joint accountability in care by means of different insurance policies utilized by males, reminiscent of decreasing additional time, compressing the working day, adapting working hours and work shifts to childcare wants, a 30-to-35-hour working week with out wage discount, and controlled and voluntary distant work.
An infographic and an organization information have been drawn as much as clarify the way to help male caregivers in seven steps and the advantages for firms. Workshops have additionally been held with working dad and mom and administration workers, which entities can request by means of the Spanish National Distance Education University (UNED). Lastly, the mission’s accomplice organisations make seven coverage suggestions on the European stage to include males into caregiving.
