The Longterm Implications of Fathers Parental Leave: The Case of Finland

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The Long-term Implications of Fathers Parental
Leave The Case of Finland

• Jouko Huttunen
• PhD, Senior Lecturer
• University of Jyväskylä
• Department of Educational Sciences

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Well-known Arguments for Fathers Use of Parental
Leave

• Welfare state family policies emphasize equality
  issues in parenthood (Ellingsæter Leira 2006
  Lammi-Taskula 2008).
• Fathers modern involvement with childcare has
  been assumed to advance the overall well-being of
  families, parents, and particularly children
  (Allen Daly 2007 Palkovitz 1997 2002).
• Paternal care enhances father-child relationship
  making it more attached and mutually more
  satisfactory (Paquette 2004).

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Well-known Arguments for Fathers Use of
Parental Leave

• Nurturing and committed father contributes to
• the development of his children (Bronte-Tinkew,
  Moore Carrano 2006 Lamb 1997).
• Fathers who use parental leave work less hours,
  and have more frequent contact with their
  children in the case of divorce (Duvander Jans
  2008).
• It has also been assumed that mens readiness to
  use parental leave is connected with fertility
  issues.
• Generally speaking, parental leave for fathers is
  seen as a key factor in promoting fathers
  involvement in family affairs (Lammi-Taskula
  2008).

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The Aim and Data of this Follow-up Survey

• The aim of this longitudinal study was to explore
  the current father-child relationship of Finnish
  fathers who had previously (11-12 years ago) been
  at least 4 months as a stay-at-home father.
• Using paid paternal and/or parental leave (baby
  0-10 months), or
• Using so-called nursing leave, and receiving
  municipal home-care allowance (child 1-3 years).
• In Finland there were (only) ca. 700 men who
  actually fulfilled these conditions in 1993.

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The Aim and Data of this Follow-up Survey

• Accordingly, the data consists of two different
  sets of fathers questionnaire replies
• PHASE A In 1993, replies of fathers (n 364)
  who had just finished their use of parental or
  nursing leave (data collection was carried out in
  collaboration with Finnish National Social
  Insurance Institute)
• PHASE B In 2005, replies (n 121) of the
  fathers who had given in phase A their address
  and permission for a subsequent follow-up study.
• Consequently, 33 of the fathers answered the
  follow-up questionnaire.

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Some Limitations of the Data

• No control group (e.g. fathers who have never
  been stay-at-home dads).
• Was the length (over 4 months) of the
  stay-at-home time lengthy enough to change a
  man, or to play any remarkable role in a mans
  growth toward fatherhood?
• Problem of self-selection The fathers who were
  committed in 2005 might have been that kind of
  father even without staying at home in 1993.
• Data consists only of fathers (and their views)
  without any data about childrens or mothers
  opinions.
• Data does not give evidence of how much is
  much no measures of factual time spent together
  (see e.g. Wall Arnold 2007).

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All-day Fatherhood Repeated

• Nearly half of the 2005-fathers had stayed at
  home as an all-day-father since 1993 once or more
  by using either parental or nursing leave (17 )
  or otherwise, e.g. unemployed (29 ).
• Most often the choice to stay at home had been
  carefully negotiated with the spouse, and the
  existing family conditions were considered.
• As a single motive, a desire to withdraw from
  working life for a while was mentioned most
  frequently.
• Next was a longing for a more intensive family
  life, an effort to concentrate on ones own
  family.
• Also being without a decent job was a common
  reason for staying at home.

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Research Questions

• How do fathers themselves evaluate the influences
  of the previous stay-at-home time on the
  subsequent father-child relationship?
• Qualitative analysis
• What kind of associations can be identified
  between a fathers attributes and father-child
  relationship?
• Quantitative analysis

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Fathers Own Evaluations of the Potential
Influences

• Concerning father-child relationship
• Established solid basis for the current
  father-child relationship (14 mentions)
• Brought the child closer (11)
• Created a more open, and more attached
  relationship (6)
• Generated a superior familiarity with the child
  (4)
• Provided somehow a special relationship(4)
• Offered a particular aid in the case of divorce
  (4)

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Fathers Own Evaluations of the Potential
Influences

• Concerning fathers values and attitudes
• Revised permanently my own values regarding
  fatherhood and parenting (9)
• The time at home introduced me to something very
  significant (5)

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Certainty of Fathers Assessments Group A
father and child living together 2005 Group B
father and child living separately 2005
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Quantitative Analysis Dependent Variables

• Father-child relationship 2005
• Consists of the following three sum variables
• Talking together
• Doing things together
• Fathers own view of the goodness of the
  father-child relationship

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Quantitative Analysis Independent Variables

• Gender of child
• Age of father
• Father and child living together (2005)
• Number of fathers biological children in the
  family (2005)
• Fathers life satisfaction (2005)
• Fathers femininity-score (1993)
• Fathers own assessment of his progress in
  childcare and domestic work (1993)
• Length of the stay-at-home-time, months (1993)
• Fathers participation in prenatal classes (1993)
• Thoroughness of fathers consideration to stay at
  home (1993)

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Goodness of Father-Child Relationship in 2005

• There were 12 items in the 2005-questionnaire
  concerning the quality of father-child
  relationship.
• Items were adjectives like close, open,
  caring, problematic, confidential etc.
• The answers (0 - 4) were summed up so that the
  sum variable reflected the goodness of the
  relationship (estimated by the father).
• Most of the fathers classified their father-child
  relationship into the category which describes a
  very good relationship, and there was no
  difference if the father lived with the child or
  not.

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Goodness of Father-Child Relationship 2005
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Preliminary Conclusions

• The intentionality (thoroughness of fathers
  consideration) to stay at home was associated
  with a good later father-child relationship.
• The fathers current talk with the 13-year-old
  child related to the fathers femininity and his
  attending prenatal classes before the childs
  birth.
• The length of the time at home did not correlate
  significantly with the variables concerning the
  later father-child relationship.
• Overall, the statistical linkages between
  fathers parental leave and the later
  father-child relationship were fairly weak.