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- Fathers on Leave Alone: Does It Make a Difference to Their Lives?Publication . Wall, KarinOver the last two decades there has been a continuing enhancement of fathers’ leave entitlements. Depending on eligibility criteria and type of leave, fathers may be on leave at the same time as the mother or alone. Despite these developments, little is known about men on leave in a “home alone” manner. The experiences of fathers were explored through a qualitative study using a purposive sample of fourteen Portuguese fathers who took leave alone for one month. Lived experiences are diverse but emphasize the specific impact of leave alone and six key processes: negotiating, caregiving, learning, bonding, undoing gender and experiencing emotions. From a policy perspective, findings suggest that there are differences between family time and father’s time alone.
- Fathers on Leave Alone in Portugal: Lived Experiences and Impact of Forerunner FathersPublication . Wall, Karin; Leitão, MafaldaIn Portugal there has been a continuing enhancement of fathers’ leave entitlements over the last two decades. Policy goals have underlined the improvement of workfamily balance for both parents and the well-being of the child as well as the promotion of gender equality, in particular through the increased involvement of fathers in child care. The last reform of the parental leave system, in 2009, addressed all these objectives but put a strong emphasis on fatherhood and gender equality by increasing paternity leave to 4 weeks of fully-compensated leave (taken with the mother after childbirth) and, more importantly, by introducing a 1-month ‘bonus scheme’ in case of gender sharing of leave (Wall and Leitão 2014 ).
- Comparative Perspectives on Work-Life Balance and Gender Equality: Fathers on Leave AlonePublication . O'Brien, Margaret; Wall, KarinThis book portrays men’s experiences of home alone leave and how it affects their lives and family gender roles in different policy contexts and explores how this unique parental leave design is implemented in these contrasting policy regimes. The book brings together three major theoretical strands: social policy, in particular the literature on comparative leave policy developments; family and gender studies, in particular the analysis of gendered divisions of work and care and recent shifts in parenting and work-family balance; critical studies of men and masculinities, with a specific focus on fathers and fathering in contemporary western societies and life-courses. Drawing on empirical data from in-depth interviews with fathers across eleven countries, the book shows that the experiences and social processes associated with fathers’ home alone leave involve a diversity of trends, revealing both innovations and absence of change, including pluralization as well as the constraining influence of policy, gender, and social context. As a theoretical and empirical book it raises important issues on modernization of the life course and the family in contemporary societies. The book will be of particular interest to scholars in comparing western societies and welfare states as well as to scholars seeking to understand changing work-life policies and family life in societies with different social and historical pathways.
- Parental Leave policies, gender equity and family well being in Europe: a comparative perspectivePublication . Wall, Karin; Escobedo, AnnaLeave policies and the protection of working parents' rights have changed significantly in Europe during the last few decades. While policies introduced immediately after World War II were largely based on a male-breadwinner model, the post-1970s policies have recognised the increase in maternal employment, the growing diversity of work/family arrangements and working parents' needs for state support in caring for young children. Paid maternity leave and paid or unpaid parental leave are now available throughout Europe - Western, Central and Eastern - and policy developments have encouraged more gender-neutral leaves and longer periods of paid leave (Deven and Moss 2005).