In 2007 Spain forced men to take longer casualties to take care of their children. Act then fertility fell

Throughout the last two decades Spain has taken several steps to extend the casualties by paternity among men. Gave one key in 2007another followed that extended its reach In 2017 and Four years ago He advanced again in that same direction to match the permits enjoyed by the women and men who have just had a baby. But … how do these casualties influence birth? Are they harmless? Do they accelerate it? Do they slow down? And if so, what is the reason?

Now we have Some keys.

Question of Paternity and Birth Low. A few years ago the researchers Farré Lídia and Libertad González They asked themselves an interesting question, especially for governments (more and more) that they are fighting against birth crises and seek greater equality in homes: how do the casualties affect paternity to fertility? Do they influence the probability that a couple has more children in the short term? And if so, in what sense?

To respond to these issues, they analyzed the birth data published by the INE between 2005 and 2013 and were set at a specific date: March 2007, which was when it was approved The legislative change which allowed men to take paternity permits of 13 days, expandable to 15 in cases of multiple births. Until then only parents were allowed to absent A couple of days.

Since then the regulatory framework It has varied quite considerably, first with a change that expanded the casualties In 2017 And then, four years ago, with another for match the permits of mothers and fathers. Even so, what happened 2007 continues to offer a valuable opportunity to assess the impact of the casualties.

And what did they discover? Farré and González captured their conclusions in An academic article Posted in 2019 in Journal of Public Economicsa piece that suggests that the two -week paternity decline released in 2007 had several effects on the Spanish society of the following years. Some expected. Others, not so much. Among the latter the most curious is that these permits delayed the subsequent fertility of couples. That is, the parents who took the decline took longer to have other offspring than those who had no permits.

A key horizon: six years. “We show that the introduction of two weeks of paid permission paid in Spain in 2007 led to an increase in the spacing of births, which may have led to a lower number of subsequent births between older couples”, summary Farré and González in Your article. “We discovered that the parents who were entitled to the new paternity permission when they had a child in 2007 took longer to have another compared to those who did not have that right. We also show that the couples with permission were less likely to have another child the six years of age following the application of the reform.”

And what are the causes? The million dollar question. In Your articlethe researchers slide some keys. One is the effect that the new paternity casualties have in the distribution of domestic tasks (including parenting) and how that is reflected at work level. As Farré and González explain, despite the fact that women’s opportunities have been improving in recent decades, they “continue to spend more time to unpaid and care work than men.” When that cast is balanced thanks to permits, women can devote more time to paid jobs and boost their careers.

And how does that influence fertility? For women it is a greater resignation to have more children. “The greatest participation of parents in children’s care could have improved the labor insertion of mothers, as reflected in their highest employment rates after childbirth, which could have increased the opportunity cost of having an additional child,” Clarifies the study. To this is added that the more parents are involved in lower upbringing are the differences between men and women in the eyes of an entrepreneur.

THE OTHER GREAT KEY: PATERNITY. During their study the researchers appreciated another factor: after the 2007 reform the men simply seemed less interested in expanding the family with more children, at least in the short term. “The men reported a lower fertility after the reform, which could be due to the fact that the period of decline aware of the total cost of having children,” collect the study. “Spending more time with your children could have modified their preferences in favor of quality (instead of quantity).”

Does it affect insertion? “The men who have benefited from the new paternity decline are less will summarize The UB, to which Farré is linked. The report leaves another interesting idea: although the rate of use of paternity decline was high, it does not seem to have affected men at work level.

In what the casualties have influenced is in the involvement of men in child care, increasing the time they dedicate to parenting, and the labor perspectives of women. “Mothers presented higher employment rates six months after childbirth and were prone to request a family leave.”

Does inequality influence? Although it is based on data several years ago and focuses on the specific case of Spain, the study is interesting because, their authors remember, the effects they observe on fertility could “generalize” other countries in the south and east of Europe in which women carry much of the responsibilities of the home. In the case of Spain, The report recalls that until 2007 men barely resorted to parental permission and imbalance in the distribution of domestic tasks and the raising of children was very accentuated: at least between 2002 and 2003, they dedicated 4.2 hours a day to home work and child care, more than triple than they, who barely invested 1.3 h.

“These characteristics could have contributed to the introduction of the paternity license to be more effective, increasing the child care time of the parents and the linking of women to the workforce, perhaps with the side effect of reducing the desired fertility of men in relation to women,” The experts reflectthat suggest that the influence of paternity casualties can be “more attenuated” in societies in which there is less inequality between men and women in the distribution of tasks.

The pending task. With the gripped demographic engine in many countries, the study of Farré and González is interesting for the readings he leaves. However, the researchers recognize that the effects of paternity decrease in fertility are of “moderate magnitude” and its “limited” reach, so they insist on the need to deepen the issue to understand it better.

Other previous studies, centered in Norway, found no effect on fertility due to the increase in paternity casualties, although the authors remember that the Nordic context is “very different” that is lived in southern Europe. For now, the study of the researchers has already caught the attention of the OECD.

Images | Vitolda Klein (UNSPLASH) and Brittani Burns

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