Paternity leave: A systematic review and directions for research

Abstract

Public debate and research on absence care leaves of men (paternity leaves) is growing in the last years. Practitioners and scholars alike are seeking evidence-informed answers on whether and how paternity leave can help overcome the domestic division of labor, with growing interest in identifying factors that facilitate men's use of this leave. To assess and synthesize this field of study from a theoretical and empirical perspective, we carried out a systematic literature review putting together existing knowledge into a common framework that can inform future research in the field. We analyse trends of paternity leave research over time and its main thematic areas. Findings from this systematic process of synthesis evidence the growing interest of academics (mostly women, and European) in the topic. An organizing framework is presented for understanding male involvement in parenting work suggesting that men's use of paternity leaves is determined by both political/regulatory forces (legislation) and organizational forces (firm's culture and practices), with an impact in a varied range of organizational, psychological and family-related areas including career development, health, and relations with children. We invite future practices and lines of research that more interactively cover regulatory, organizational and family forces that hinder men's use of paternity leave and organizational development, and outline how male-focused practices such as those implemented in European policy should help pursue these goals.