Paternity leave: first results of introduction in Moldova

Parental leave policies are important instruments regulating how the men’s and women’s concurrent role as parents and employees is valued and encouraged. Although paternity leave in Moldova was introduced in 2016, the share of fathers who benefit from this leave remains low. The article presents the results of the qualitative sociological study conducted in 2022 with fathers who took paternity leave and fathers who did not take it. The aim of the research was to determine the barriers faced by fathers in taking paternity leave. The benefits of paternity leave for both fathers and the whole family were found: formatting strong emotional bonds between father and child, developing newborn care skills, strengthening confidence in their ability to care for children, improving family relations. In the implementation of this leave, fathers face social, professional, financial and cultural difficulties. Traditional stereotypes of behavior and ideas that a woman (mother) should take care of a child have a negative impact on the position of men (fathers) about the possibility of using parental leave. The level of education and the position on the labor market are determining factors in the use of paternity leave. Respondents who took paternity leave have higher education, stable occupational position and relatively high incomes; and those who did not take this leave have secondary education, unstable occupational position, and low incomes. Most of the fathers who used parental leave had the first child in the family, and those who did not use it had a second or third child. The study found that some employers do not encourage their employees to take paternity leave. Often this is due to a shortage of workers in the organization / enterprise, and is also more typical for the private sector.