Involved fathers in Workplaces: Reducing the Gender Gap in Work-life balance in Spain

Abstract

This paper explores the barriers and possibilities that involved fathers encounter at their workplaces when they enter parenthood and is based on three discussion groups conducted in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville in 2016 and on recent statistical data. Involved fathers are defined as those who adapt their working time, work schedule or workplace to parenting, or those who have a job that allows for work-life balance. In addition, they form dual-earner couples with a full-time working partner and spend at least two hours at weekdays caring for their children. Given that in Spain a by-law allows parents the possibility to reduce working hours until their youngest child is 12 years old, this study focuses on men who are fathers of at least one child up to this age. Fathers from public sector enterprises, medium to large private companies and small businesses participated in one discussion group respectively.

So far, most Spanish research on the family-friendliness of enterprises draw on surveys conducted with Human Resources staff and managers, who describe their enterprises’ measures to support work-family balance and sometimes share impressions about their organizational culture. Yet, we know little about how fathers perceive and make use of measures to reduce work-life conflict and the gender differences for these practices.

This qualitative and quantitative analysis shows that working in tight shifts (mornings mainly), as well as schedule flexibility, telework and paid paternity leaves are the measures mostly used by the interviewed fathers, and by Spanish fathers in general. In addition, the use of schedule flexibility and telework display very low gender gaps in contrast to opting for unpaid and transferable leaves or the use of statutory entitlement to reduced workhours. Under certain circumstances, supervisors and coworkers attitudes are described as hostile to the adoption of support measures. Some clear policy recommendations arise from this study, should the aim be to foster work-life balance for fathers and mothers but without having unintended consequences on gender inequality.