Influence of Child Care Leave Policy on Sharing Gender Roles in Family. Comparative Aspect: Iceland and Lithuania

• Main Author: Stefanova, Ana
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: Lithuanian; English
• Published: Institutional Repository of Mykolas Romeris University 2021
• Subjects: child care leave policy; gender roles; family; Iceland; Lithuania
• Online Access: http://mru.oai.elaba.lt/documents/39928934.pdf; http://mru.lvb.lt/MRU:ELABAETD39928934&prefLang=en_US

Today, changing social beliefs about gender roles and parenting influence involvement of the father in children cearing and development. The main aim of the Master Thesis is to investigate the influence of child care leave policies’ on sharing gender roles in a small age child care. The following main research questions define the research problem: how family policy measure – parental leave contribute to father’s role? How this his experience important for men? How time spend with child during parental leave contributed to father – child relationship? This research seeks to highlight possible challenges in child care systems, and seek to contribute to positive social changes. The main research object is influence of child care leave policy on father’s role in a small age child care. The objectives of the Master Thesis are the following: (1) To provide theoretical analysis on family policy conceptual understandings, including family policy models and measures that ensure gender equality in work – family reconciliation; (2) To compare implementation of family policy measures like parental leave and child care possibilities for fathers in different welfare states, including Lithuania and Iceland; (3) To analyze and compare how parental leave taken by fathers influence their connection with a child in Lithuania and Iceland based on empirical data collected in these countries; (4) To provide conclusions and recommendations on the influence of child care leave policy on sharing gender roles in a small age child care, focussing on father’s role in a small age child care. Qualitative in-depth interviews applied in the empirical investigation. Two men on parental leave in Lithuania, and two men on parental leave in Iceland were interviewed in March-April, 2019. The research findings revealed that in modern welfare states family policy development lead with the increasing economic vulnerability of family. An important aspect for children and father relationship formation play parental leave which increases men involvement in housework and child care. Men on parental leave in Iceland and Lithunia share their experince and describe their relationship with their child. Men on parental leave, in both countries are involved in childcare process which help father to develop a close relationship with their children. The more time a father and child spend together the stronger connection between them. The relations between father and his child do change by implementing family policy measures such as parental leave as it helps men and women share care and house responsibilities. Participant’s housework do change after taking parental leave in both countries as they share with their partner's housework responsibilities. When the father is presented in the child’s life, it helps to build not stereotypical behavior in relation to male and female roles and children get both parents involved in the care process.