Changing gender norms across generations: Evidence from a paternity leave reform

In this webinar, Libertad Gonzalez will discuss the national-level introduction of paternity leave in Spain with a unique, large-scale lab-in-the-field experiment conducted with children born around the policy change.

Direct exposure to counter-stereotypical behaviors early in life has been put forward as a promising way to change gender norms across generations.

Libertad will talk about the causal evidence that, at age 12, children whose fathers were eligible for paternity leave exhibit more egalitarian attitudes towards gender roles and are more supportive of mothers and fathers being equally engaged in the labor market and in the home. She will also show that they engage more in counter-stereotypical day-to-day behaviors and expect to deviate from the male-breadwinner model in the future.

This event will be particularly useful for those interested in gender economics and gender norms.

Related links

• QSS seminar series
• Quantitative Social Science (QSS)
• Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS)
• Social Research Institute