ABSTRACT

Due to the lack of a federal paid parental leave policy in the United States, access to leave for most US workers is dependent on whether their employer offers paid leave. Our research explores employer-based access to parental leave among Fortune 500 companies. We develop a classification of leave policies based on how policies differ for mothers and fathers: gender equal (equal periods of leave to mothers and fathers), gender modified (equal leave of 6 or more weeks with an additional 6–8 weeks for mothers), gender unequal (mothers offered 2 or more times longer leave than fathers), and gender-neutral gendering (policies that offer primary and secondary caregiver leave). We find that 72% of companies offer some paid parental leave, and the majority of Fortune 500 companies have paid parental leave policies that offer substantially more leave to mothers than to fathers. We also find that technology companies, larger companies, and companies headquartered in a state with paid family leave are more likely to offer paid parental leave. This research provides insight into the degree to which employer policies may contribute to gender inequality and has implications for employer-mediated inequalities in access to parental leave.

摘要

由于美国缺乏联邦带薪育儿假政策，大多数美国工人能否休假取决于其雇主是否提供带薪休假。我们的研究探索了财富 500 强公司中基于雇主的育儿假。我们根据母亲和父亲的政策差异制定了休假政策分类：性别平等（母亲和父亲的休假时间相同）、性别调整（6 周或更多周的休假均等，母亲额外休假 6-8 周） 、性别不平等（母亲提供的休假时间是父亲的 2 倍或更多），以及性别中立的性别化（提供主要和次要照顾者休假的政策）。我们发现 72% 的公司提供一些带薪育儿假，大多数财富 500 强公司都制定了带薪育儿假政策，为母亲提供的假期比父亲多得多。我们还发现，科技公司、大公司和总部位于带薪家庭假的州的公司更有可能提供带薪育儿假。这项研究深入了解雇主政策可能在多大程度上导致性别不平等，并对雇主调解的育儿假不平等产生影响。