Along with the Director of Procter & Gamble, Danko Badanjak, our Diana appeared on the show where they discussed parental leave and its usage.
The results of the “Active Fathers of the City of Zagreb” study showed that fathers do not make sufficient use of parental leave. 41% of employed fathers in Zagreb did not take parental leave due to, as they state, financial reasons, while 46% cited the reason that the mother wanted to take the parental leave exclusively for herself. Behind the first reason is the higher earnings of men, which influences the family decision regarding the use of parental leave, while the second reason points to gender stereotypes and expectations of the female gender role. Furthermore, the research results revealed that most fathers believe that flexible working hours and locations are key to maintaining a balance between family and professional obligations.
Diana K. Descovich, Danko Badanjak
This is also reflected in the practices of companies that recognise the needs of young families and offer their employees opportunities beyond the legal framework. One such example is P&G, which, since 2019, has been encouraging fathers to take paternity leave for 8 weeks, fully financially covering it through its ShareTheCare policy. Additionally, P&G offers flexible working hours and the possibility of working from home, which is especially valuable for parents of young children who need more time and attention.
Historically, a large number of studies have often focused on studying and highlighting the importance of the maternal role in the well-being and upbringing of children. However, today we talk about equal parenting. Research conducted as part of the CHILD-WELL project showed that mothers who take on greater responsibility and duties related to the children are less satisfied in their partnership, while both mothers and fathers are more satisfied when they are equally engaged and present. At the same time, a mother’s satisfaction influences the well-being of the child, so it is in everyone’s interest to share the responsibilities equally.
Equal parenting and active fathers are important for children because they contribute to emotional development, which in turn increases their sense of security, leading to better social relationships, easier handling of stressful situations, better academic success, and ultimately greater chances for good professional development later in life. Such children also develop better cognitively and express a greater sense of happiness and self-confidence.
The implementation of new legal solutions opens up numerous new opportunities for employers. Firstly, they have the opportunity to retain quality women, not just men, as it is no longer expected that only women take parental leave. This also creates perceptually more space to focus on professional development for career-oriented women. Additionally, it is in employers’ interests to promote flexibility, as parental leave can be used until the child turns 8, which in practice can include part-time work in combination with parental leave over an extended number of months.
Looking at the total number of days off available, it would be beneficial to start thinking about all types of leave as a total number of days that can be used over time, as is the case in Sweden. This allows parents to return to work earlier, care for their children in parallel, creates fewer challenges for employers, and brings greater benefits for children and families, as they spend more time together, which, as we have seen, positively impacts children’s well-being and the parents’ relationship.
