Not so revolutionary. Taking paternity leave does not guarantee a better distribution of family tasks and is still largely dependent on professional characteristics, according to a study by the Center for Studies and Research on Qualifications (Cereq) which has just been published.
“Slightly more involved”
A few days before International Women’s Rights Day, March 8, Cereq publishes a survey on the use of paternity leave among young people who became fathers between 2010 and 2017. Conducted by Alix Sponton, researcher at Sciences Po Paris and the ‘INED, the study concerns data prior to the reform of July 2021, which increases the leave to 28 days, instead of 14 previously.
Fathers who took leave appear only “slightly more involved in the distribution of parental tasks and certain domestic tasks in 2017”. It is slightly more common for the father to take care of the shopping or take care of the children, with +7 and +8 percentage points respectively compared to fathers who did not take leave (25% and 24% of fathers on leave versus 18% and 16%).
No difference for cleaning and meals
On the other hand, “virtually no difference is observable concerning housework and meal preparation” (+1 point) with 19% and 26% respectively against 18% and 25%. The greater involvement of fathers who have taken leave “concerns first of all activities that take place outside the home and those most directly related to children”, writes Alix Sponton. She recalls that the international literature indicates that “the leaves most conducive to promoting the investment of men in parental and domestic tasks are those paid, reserved for fathers, lasting several months and used in part outside the mother’s leave” .