Why study fathers and care?
2025
DOI:10.56687/9781447372448-005
Caring Fathers in the Global Context (pag:3-20)
Autores: Katherine Twamley,Petteri Eerola,Pedro Romero-Balsas,Henna Pirskanen

Abstract: This introductory chapter of Caring Fathers in the Global Context sets the scene for the book by exploring why it’s important to study fathers and care. It highlights the gaps in existing research that the book aims to fill and outlines its conceptual approach, beginning with an overview of what is already known about how fathers engage in caregiving. After this, factors that, according to earlier research facilitate fathers’ involvement in care are discussed. Finally, it presents the book’s four thematic sections and introduces the 19 chapters that follow.

Towards a comprehensive terminology on paid parenting leave
2025
https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/wkuam_v2
Towards a comprehensive terminology on paid parenting leave (pag:1-66)
Autores: Gerardo Meil-Landwerlin, Pedro Romero-Balsas, Nadav Perez-Vaisvidovsky, Anna Escobedo, Ivanova, Dimitrina, Moss, Peter, Reimer Thordis, Sonja Dörfler-Bolt

Objective: This report examines how terminology in paid parental leave (PPL) policies is defined and used across international organisations, European countries and comparative research, and evaluates whether a harmonised vocabulary for parenting leave is possible.

Background: Terms used in PPL policies reflect societal values and policy goals. As family structures and gender norms evolve, so does the language of leave policies. Traditional distinctions between maternity, paternity and parental leave increasingly fail to capture expanding leave types and diverse arrangements. At the same time, researchers often use inconsistent or undefined terminology, affecting what is measured and how results are interpreted.

Method: The analysis draws on three sources: (1) official documents from the ILO, EU, OECD and UN to identify international standards and terminology; (2) national legislation and policy documents from 30 European countries, classified as role-focused, action-focused or event-focused; and (3) 38 comparative academic studies, reviewed to assess how terminology choices shape research design.

Results: International organisations tend to introduce umbrella concepts and new leave categories to support monitoring, but still frame policies mainly around eligible mothers and fathers rather than children’s needs. European countries show growing use of gender-neutral terms such as partner’s or birth leave, while existing labels often oversimplify complex arrangements. In academic research, umbrella terms dominate analyses of leave length, while gender-specific terms appear in studies of leave division. Many studies do not explain their terminology choices, despite the impact on findings.

Conclusion: Full harmonisation of national PPL terminology is neither necessary nor feasible. However, standardised terms are essential for reliable cross-country comparison. The report recommends retaining national terms while presenting comparative data through aggregated categories of parenting leave: mother-only, father-only, family and total leave. Clearer terminology would strengthen international monitoring and support more accurate comparative research.

The Use of Paternity Leave by Migrants in Spain
2025
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746425101085
Social Policy and Society Nº: First view (pag: 1 - 13)
Autores: Pedro Romero-Balsas , Gerardo Meil-Landwerlin and Jesús Rogero-García

Objective: This study examines how migrant fathers in Spain utilize paternity leave and identifies the social, cultural, and employment-related factors shaping their uptake, with particular attention to fathers born in the United States and other European countries.

Background: Spain has undergone major reforms in paternity leave over the past two decades, shifting from a short, transferable benefit to a fully individual, non-transferable, and gender-equal right. Despite these advances, little is known about how migrants engage with these policies. Migrant fathers often face distinct barriers related to labour-market instability, administrative complexity, and cultural norms, making their access to paternity leave less straightforward than that of Spanish-born fathers.

Method: The analysis uses nationally representative data from the QUIDAN 2021 online survey of 3,100 parents of young children. The subsample includes 1,489 fathers, of whom 1,430 were born in Spain, 28 in other European countries, and 31 in American countries. The study applies descriptive statistics and multivariate models to assess the impact of migrant status, socioeconomic factors, partnership characteristics, and cultural indicators on paternity-leave usage.

Results: Usage rates vary significantly by origin. Spanish-born fathers take paternity leave in 81.8% of cases. Fathers born in other European countries show a comparable rate of 82.1%. However, fathers born in American countries use paternity leave far less frequently, at 64.5% and remain more than eight times less likely to take it even after controlling for language proficiency, employment position, income, and demographic factors. Labour-market precarity plays a central role: fathers in temporary or informal jobs are markedly less likely to take leave, while permanent employment strongly increases usage. Cultural expectations around gender roles further discourage leave-taking among some migrant groups.

Conclusion: Spain’s expansion of paternity leave has substantially increased its use among native fathers, yet significant inequalities remain for migrant fathers, especially those from American countries. The findings indicate that legal entitlement alone does not guarantee equal access. Addressing informational barriers, employment insecurity, and cultural constraints will be essential for strengthening migrant inclusion and ensuring the effectiveness of Spain’s gender-equality policies.

Fathers caring in families with children with disabilities
2025
https://doi.org/10.51952/9781447372448.ch017
Caring Fathers in the Global Context Nº: Chapter 17 (pag:301–320)
Autores: Jesús Rogero-García, Gerardo Meil-Landwerlin, and Pedro Romero-Balsas
Editores: Petteri Eerola, Katherine Twamley, Henna Pirskanen, and Pedro Romero-Balsas
Editorial: Policy Press

Objective: In this first study of its kind in Spain, we analyse the scope of and reasons underlying paternal regret.

Background: Research on parental regret, a subject only recently broached by analysts, tends to focus on motherhood. Regretting fatherhood has been only scantly researched. In this study we test the effects of intensive fathering, the use of different care resources, economic and employment conditions, and satisfaction with respondents’ partnership on their regret for having children.

Method: The analysis is based on an online survey of parents of children under 7 years old (QUIDAN Survey) A total of 3100 parents were interviewed, with the sample evenly distributed by sex and youngest child’s age, and proportional by parents’ highest level of schooling and place of residence. The weighted subsample used in this article included 1374 fathers. The hypotheses are tested with logistic regression.

Results: The social factors associated with a greater likelihood of regret include circumstances that challenge men’s role as primary breadwinner, a negative impact of fatherhood on job career, a high dependence on grandparents for balancing working and private lives and partnership dissatisfaction. A relationship between intensive fathering and regret could not be observed.

Conclusion: The findings show the extent of paternal regret to be fairly limited, similar to the proportion reported for maternal regret. Paternal regret is mainly associated with family and working circumstances.

Factors affecting the length of unpaid parental leave in Spain
2023
https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2022.2032274
Journal of Family Studies Nº: 29(3) (pag:1117–1133)
Autores: Pedro Romero-Balsas

ABSTRACT: This study analyses the effect of working conditions, educational background, job mobility, grandparental availability and co-worker attitudes on the duration of unpaid parental leave in Spain. The length of parental leave is a key factor in both the work–family life balance and the furtherance of gender equality in childcare. The data for the analysis were drawn from a 2012 survey on the use of parental leave involving a nationwide sample of 4000 parents with at least one child under the age of 13. Multivariate models were built using logistic regression to analyse parental leave take-up and Cox proportional hazard regression to analyse leave duration (or survival) from a sub-sample of mothers. The results attest to the heavy impact of working conditions on the length of unpaid full- and part-time parental leave. The latter was observed to be taken also to adjust working hours to childcare demands when workplace flexibility or employer support for work–family balance was perceived to be lacking. Job security was found to be a primary determinant in the length of unpaid leave in Spain. The results suggest that longer full- but not part-time leave entails a substantial opportunity cost for the most highly qualified mothers.

La transición de la familia patriarcal a la familia posmoderna en España
2023
https://doi.org/10.3917/rf.020.0346
Recherches familiales Nº: 20(1) (pag:1-14)
Autores: Gerardo Landwerlin Meil

Resumen: La vida familiar en España ha conocido un profundo cambio en las últimas décadas, al pasar de un modelo patriarcal dominante a formas más diversas de materializar los proyectos de vida en pareja y en familia. Detrás de este cambio se encuentran profundas modificaciones en la regulación legal de las relaciones familiares, cambios en las políticas sociales y en los valores y actitudes hacia el cambio familiar. Los distintos gobiernos socialistas han tenido un papel muy relevante en todo este proceso. Así, se ha reconocido el derecho a contraer matrimonio a las parejas del mismo sexo, aunque algunas de éstas todavía sufren distintas formas de discriminación. Las uniones de hecho no solo se han convertido en la forma habitual de iniciar un proyecto de vida en pareja, sino también en alternativa al matrimonio, aunque éste sigue siendo bastante popular. Se ha reconocido el derecho a todas las mujeres, independientemente de su situación de pareja y orientación sexual, a acudir a la reproducción asistida, derecho que es utilizado con relativa frecuencia, aunque no siempre dentro de la sanidad pública. Con la generalización de la planificación familiar, el tamaño de las familias se ha reducido drásticamente, en parte como respuesta a las desigualdades de género en el empleo y en la dinámica familiar. El divorcio, inicialmente obstaculizado por la forma en que se institucionalizó tras el fin de la dictadura, ha sido regulado de forma similar a otros países liberales y la asignación de la custodia de los hijos menores a la madre ha dejado paso a la asignación cada vez más frecuente de la custodia compartida.

El uso de servicios formales de cuidado infantil entre 0 y 3 años en España
2023
https://doi.org/10.22325/fes/res.2023.144
Revista Española de Sociología Nº: 32 (pag:1-21)
Autores: Gerardo Meil-Landwerlin, Jesús Rogero-García, Iñaki Sola-Espinosa

ABSTRACT: Formal child care services (FCCS) have been consolidated in contemporary societies as a fundamental policy for the promotion of reconciliation of work and family life, gender equality and equal opportunities. The objective of this article is to analyse the factors that condition the extent and intensity of use of FCCS by families residing in Spain with children aged 0 to 3 years. Based on European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions 2016, we estimate a zero-inflated Poisson regression model. Unlike fathers, employed mothers are more likely to use FCCS than unemployed mothers, and these are likely to use FCCS than homemakers. Household income has a positive impact on likelihood and intensity of such use, but no significant relationship was found with parents educational level. Non-EU immigrant parents are less likely to use FCCS, but if they do, they use it for more hours, as are parents with primary education. Finally, having siblings under the age of seven has a positive effect on FCCS use. Implications of these results for public policy are discussed

ABSTRACTO: Los servicios formales de cuidado infantil (SFCI) se han consolidado en las sociedades contemporáneas como una política fundamental para la promoción de la conciliación familiar, la igualdad de género y la igualdad de oportunidades. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar los factores que condicionan la extensión e intensidad del uso de SFCI por las familias residentes en España con niños/as de 0 a 3 años. Basándonos en la European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions 2016, estimamos un modelo de regresión de Poisson con cero inflado. Los resultados indican que, a diferencia de los hombres, es más probable que las madres ocupadas usen SFCI y lo hagan durante más horas que las desempleadas, y éstas que las inactivas. La renta familiar continúa condicionando el acceso y uso de estos servicios a pesar de las políticas de precios condicionadas a la renta, pero no se observa relación con el nivel de estudios. Los progenitores inmigrantes extracomunitarios tienen menos probabilidad de usar SFCI, pero, en el caso de usarlos, lo hacen durante más horas, al igual que los progenitores con estudios primarios. Por último, tener hermanos menores de siete años afecta positivamente a dicho uso. Estos resultados tienen implicaciones relevantes en el diseño de políticas públicas de cuidado a la primera infancia.

 

Family diversity in Spain
2023
DOI:10.4324/9781003193500-7
The Changing Faces of Families (pag:122-141)
Autores: Gerardo Meil Landwerlin, Jesús Rogero-García, Vicente Díaz-Gandasegui

Objective: This chapter analyzes how family life in Spain has transformed over recent decades, focusing on the rise of diverse family forms and the legal, demographic and social changes that have shaped these developments.

Background: Under the Franco regime, Spain enforced a patriarchal family model and restricted individual freedoms. The democratic transition introduced extensive reforms that expanded gender equality, recognized different pathways to family formation, and legal practices such as divorce, same-sex marriage, and medically assisted reproduction. These institutional changes occurred alongside shifts in social behavior, including declining marriage, increasing cohabitation, delayed transitions to adulthood, very low fertility and a steady rise in non-marital births. Household structures diversified as more people live alone, form one-parent families, or create blended and multicultural families.

 

Method: The chapter combines legal analysis, demographic indicators from official statistics and findings from sociological and demographic research. It draws on national datasets such as INE surveys, fertility studies and household data, as well as previous scholarship on family policy, partnership patterns, childcare, adoption, assisted reproduction and same-sex parenthood.

Results: The findings show that Spain has experienced a substantial pluralization of family arrangements. Cohabitation has become common among young adults. Divorce and repartnering have increased the number of blended families. One-parent households, mostly headed by women, remain highly vulnerable to poverty. Same-sex families have gained visibility and generally display more egalitarian divisions of domestic work. Adoption and foster care are more child-centered, while medically assisted reproduction is more widely used. Low fertility persists due to economic insecurity, high housing costs and limited work-family balance. The COVID-19 lockdown heightened care demands and reinforced gender inequalities, revealing the central role of intergenerational support.

 

Conclusion: Spain has moved from a restrictive and uniform family model to a context marked by legal openness and significant diversity. Despite this progress, major challenges continue, including low fertility, difficulties reconciling employment and care, and high levels of social vulnerability among one-parent and low-income families. Further development of family support, childcare services and research on emerging family forms is essential to ensure equitable conditions for all households.

Incremento en la duración del permiso exclusivo para padres y sus consecuencias en el cuidado infantil desde la perspectiva de las madres
2022
https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/res/article/view/88643
Revista Española de Sociología Nº: 31(1) (pag:1-18)
Autores: Romero-Balsas, P.

Las paternidades van cambiando a lo largo del tiempo junto con, entre otros factores, innovaciones en políticas familiares. Este artículo testa la influencia en la implicación paterna en el cuidado de niños a través del incremento de la duración del permiso de paternidad de dos a cinco semanas llevado a cabo desde 2007 a 2018. Se utilizan los datos de la encuesta de fecundidad de 2018. El tamaño muestral es de 3.388 entrevistas. Se realizan modelos de regresión logística para diez tareas de cuidado de niños. Los resultados apuntan a que el permiso de paternidad de dos semanas conlleva una mayor implicación paterna en actividades de cuidado que incluyen la interacción y juego. Mientras que la utilización del permiso de paternidad de cuatro y cinco semanas favorece la implicación en tareas de cuidado físico. No obstante, no se observan cambios en las tareas de cuidado más feminizadas.

Trends towards de-gendering leave use in Spain and Portugal
2022
Research Handbook on Parental Leave
Autores: Meil G., Wall K., Atalaia S., Escobedo A.
Editorial: E. Edgar Publishing
Factors affecting the length of unpaid parental leave in Spain.
2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2022.2032274
Journal of Family Studies Nº: online first
Autores: Romero-Balsas, Pedro

This study analyses the effect of working conditions, educational background, job mobility, grandparental availability and co-worker attitudes on the duration of unpaid parental leave in Spain. The length of parental leave is a key factor in both the work–family life balance and the furtherance of gender equality in childcare. The data for the analysis were drawn from a 2012 survey on the use of parental leave involving a nationwide sample of 4000 parents with at least one child under the age of 13. Multivariate models were built using logistic regression to analyse parental leave take-up and Cox proportional hazard regression to analyse leave duration (or survival) from a sub-sample of mothers. The results attest to the heavy impact of working conditions on the length of unpaid full- and part-time parental leave. The latter was observed to be taken also to adjust working hours to childcare demands when workplace flexibility or employer support for work–family balance was perceived to be lacking. Job security was found to be a primary determinant in the length of unpaid leave in Spain. The results suggest that longer full- but not part-time leave entails a substantial opportunity cost for the most highly qualified mothers.

Unpaid Parental Leave and Nursery Schools: Are They Substitute or Complementary Resources?
2022
https://doi.org/10.5477/cis/reis.177.111
REIS Nº: 177 (pag:11-126)
Autores: Romero-Balsas, Pedro; Rogero-García, Jesús; Meil, Gerardo

Nursery schools and (full-time and part-time) parental leave are key resources used to ensure the work and family balance of Spanish families. This work examines how the use of unpaid parental leave influences nursery school attendance during the first three years of the child's life. Data from a 2012 survey on parental leave in Spain was used. Three multivariate logistic regression models were created to analyze factors associated with nursery school attendance. The results suggest that part-time parental leave has a positive relationship with nursery school attendance, revealing a relationship of complementarity; on the other hand, it is suggested that full-time parental leave is used as a substitute for nursery school attendance.

Is Spanish parental leave'traditionalising'the gender distribution of childcare and housework?
2022
https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-745
Journal of Family Research Nº: early view
Autores: Romero-Balsas, Pedro; Meil, Gerardo; Rogero-García, Jesús

Abstract

Objective: The question addressed in this study is the possible effect of mothers' use of parental leave on the share of childcare and housework assumed by each parent.

Background: Whilst the length of parental leave is greater in Spain than in other European countries, as it is unpaid, take-up rates are low. Such leaves are taken more frequently and for longer periods by women than men.

Method: To determine the answer, two multivariate regression models were applied to National Statistics Institute 2018 Fertility Survey data. The main independent variables were fathers' and mothers' use of parental leave. The models also controlled for the effects of family and socio-economic variables on the share of childcare and housework assumed by each parent.

Results: The findings showed that mothers' use of unpaid full-time parental leave traditionalises the distribution of domestic chores only when the leave extends beyond one year, whereas part-time leave-taking has no effect whatsoever. That such reversion to tradition can be neutralised when fathers take leaves attests to the advisability of encouraging paternal use. The effects apply to childcare only, however, for other household chores are still distributed along very traditional lines.

Conclusion: Unpaid parental leave use by mothers "traditionalizes" the allocation of childcare within the couple, but only when it takes longer than a year.

Do Europeans want children? The significance of job-related spatial mobility
2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/21582041.2022.2074530
Contemporary Social Sciences (pag:1-15)
Autores: Romero-Balsas, Pedro

Job-related spatial mobility (JRSM) includes different types of movement situations (long-distance commuting, overnighting, recent relocation, long-distance relationship and multi-mobile) regarding employment and family life and it has implications both for labour market relations and for embarking on parenthood. This article aims to determine how spatial mobility at work can influence childless workers decision on having children in the context of the Great Recession, based on data collected on the occasion of the ‘Job Mobilities and Family Lives in Europe’ panel survey. Conducted in 2007 and 2010–2012, it comprised a sample of 1735 respondents in France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. The subsample of 257 childless people was analysed using multivariable logistic regression. The findings suggest that initially a switch from non-JRSM to JRSM intensifies the importance attached to occupational reasons for not wanting children, although to a greater extent in Germany and Spain than in France

Labour markets, families and public policies shaping gender relations and parenting: Introduction to the Special Issue
2022
https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-842
Journal of Family Research Nº: early view
Autores: Moreno Mínguez, Almudena; Romero-Balsas, Pedro; Inga Las

Abstract

Objective: This article introduces the reader to the Special Issue "Labour markets, families and public policies shaping gender relations and parenting" and gives a theoretical and empirical overview of gender roles and gender equality in Europe.

Background: This Special Issue analyses the connection between labour markets, families, social policy, and gender relations in several European countries.

Method: The six included articles are based on qualitative and quantitative approaches and data that have been gathered in Finland, Norway, Poland, Spain, and across the entire EU.

Results: Key findings are: (1) In less egalitarian countries, children of single parents suffer more nutritional, educational and social life deprivation. (2) The institutional design of parental leave can contribute to reproducing gender inequality in the use of leave. (3) The institutional design interacts with cultural norms in shaping fatherhood practices of migrant fathers. (4) Individualised, performance-based wage and career schemes can counteract the effects of gender-equalising family policies. (5) Fathers taking leave independently from the mother and for an extended period are more involved in childcare beyond the leave period, and (6) the use of longer unpaid parental leave by mothers leads to a more unequal distribution of childcare between the parents.

Conclusion: This Special Issue highlights that even in the most egalitarian countries, there remain persistent challenges to achieving gender equality regarding labour market, institutions and family life.

Regretting fatherhood in Spain
2022
https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-819
Journal of Family Research Nº: early view (Special Issue "Fathers in Europe: Policies, Constructions and Practices")
Autores: Meil, Gerardo; Romero-Balsas, Pedro; Muntanyola-Saura, Dafne

Abstract

Objective: In this first study of its kind in Spain, we analyse the scope of and reasons underlying paternal regret.

Background: Research on parental regret, a subject only recently broached by analysts, tends to focus on motherhood. Regretting fatherhood has been only scantly researched. In this study we test the effects of intensive fathering, the use of different care resources, economic and employment conditions, and satisfaction with respondents’ partnership on their regret for having children.

Method: The analysis is based on an online survey of parents of children under 7 years old (QUIDAN Survey) A total of 3100 parents were interviewed, with the sample evenly distributed by sex and youngest child’s age, and proportional by parents’ highest level of schooling and place of residence. The weighted subsample used in this article included 1374 fathers. The hypotheses are tested with logistic regression.

Results: The social factors associated with a greater likelihood of regret include circumstances that challenge men’s role as primary breadwinner, a negative impact of fatherhood on job career, a high dependence on grandparents for balancing working and private lives and partnership dissatisfaction. A relationship between intensive fathering and regret could not be observed.

Conclusion: The findings show the extent of paternal regret to be fairly limited, similar to the proportion reported for maternal regret. Paternal regret is mainly associated with family and working circumstances.

Workers’ individual and dyadic coping with the COVID-19 health emergency: A cross cultural study
2022
https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221119066
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships Nº: 40(2) (pag:551-575)
Autores: Silvia Donato, Agostino Brugnera, Roberta Adorni, Sara Molgora, Eleonora Reverberi, Claudia Manzi, Maria Angeli, Anna Bagirova, Veronica Benet-Martinez, Liberato Camilleri, Frances Camilleri-Cassar, Evi Hatzivarnava Kazasi, Gerardo Meil, Maria Symeonaki, Ayça Aksu, Karina Batthyany, Ruta Brazienė, Natalia Genta, Annick Masselot, and Suzy Morrissey

Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine workers’ psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic as a function of their individual coping, dyadic coping, and work-family conflict. We also tested the moderating role of gender and culture in these associations. To achieve this aim, we run HLM analyses on data from 1521 workers cohabiting with a partner, coming from six countries (Italy, Spain, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, and Russia) characterized by various degrees of country-level individualism/collectivism. Across all six countries, findings highlighted that work-family conflict as well as the individual coping strategy social support seeking were associated with higher psychological distress for workers, while the individual coping strategy positive attitude and common dyadic coping were found to be protective against workers’ psychological distress. This latter association, moreover, was stronger in more individualistic countries.

Becoming primary caregivers? Unemployed fathers caring alone in Spain
2021
Becoming primary caregivers? Unemployed fathers caring alone in Spain
Families, Relationships and Societies Nº: 10(3) (pag:517-533)
Autores: Castrillo Bustamante, C., Rogero-García, J., Romero-Balsas, P. and Meil, G

This article analyses how unemployed fathers with employed partners broach childcare and how they conceive of their own identities. It aims primarily to determine whether these fathers actually play the part of primary caregivers. The analysis is based on in-depth interviews with 26 unemployed fathers who spent at least three months caring for their children. The findings show that these fathers engaged intensively in a wide variety of caring tasks. Nonetheless, their role as primary caregivers is called into question on the grounds of attitude. They tended to take for granted that they should set aside time and space for themselves, adding to their partners’ dual workload. Moreover, the overall responsibility for care fell largely on mothers. Subjectively speaking, while one group of fathers resorted to egalitarian precepts to normalise their situation, for many others, the inability to meet the standard expectations of traditional masculinity prompted an identity conflict.

Back to the future: a sensitivity analysis to predict futur fertility retes considering the influence of family policies. The case of Spain and Norway
2021
Social Indicators Research Nº: 154(3) (pag:943-968)
Autores: Díaz Gandasegui, V., Elizalde San Miguel, V.; Sanz, M.T

This article analyzes the relationship between family policies focused on childcare for children under the age of three and fertility levels. In the current context of very low European fertility, it is important to understand whether public support for families can help increase fertility or if, on the contrary, existing fertility levels are the exact reflection of the reproductive desires of families, regardless of the family-support of the policies that may exist in each country. This analysis was carried out through a stochastic dynamic mathematical model that incorporates both demographic variables and family policy variables. A sensitivity analysis was carried out on Spain and Norway, two countries that have very different models of family policies. This sensitivity analysis allows establishing a relationship between the existing family policies and the total fertility rate and also the expected evolution of fertility rates in the future, if the current family policies remain constant. The results showed that the models which lead to an increase in fertility are those which are most generous and which also incorporate a gender perspective, so they allow the identification of good practices and maximum levels of policy efficiency in regards to different objectives such as increase fertility and advances towards gender equality. By contrast, models with erratic and insufficient support clearly contribute to maintaining fertility at very low levels and perpetuate unequal gender relationships. There is, therefore, space for state agency to develop more effective public policies in both dimensions.

The Impact of Paternity Leave Compared to Unemployment on Child Care and Housework Distribution in Spain
2021
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0192513X211054469
Journal of Family Issues Nº: Online first
Autores: Meil G, Rogero-García J, Romero-Balsas P, Díaz-Gandasegui V.

Paternity leave has been introduced in many countries as a way to foster father´s co-responsibility in family obligations. This study aims \to analyse, for the Spanish case, if (1) the positive effects of the paternity leave are not only limited to the short term, but are maintained at medium and long term; (2) if a similar effect applies in the case of unemployment periods. Based on a subsample of 3388 cases derived from the Spanish Fertility Survey 2018, we perform OLS regression analysis of father´s involvement in childcare and housework. Our analysis shows that longer leaves are related to a greater involvement in care and housework activities, although only in the former, the effect is maintained in the long term. Regarding unemployed fathers, these individuals show more involvement in childcare during the first year, but the effect vanishes later and there is no significant relationship with housework.

Policemen on Leave Alone in Spain. A Rift in Hegemonic Masculinity?
2021
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1097184X19878221
Men and Masculinities Nº: 24(3) (pag:483-500)
Autores: Romero-Balsas, P.; Meil, G; & Rogero-García, J.

Abstract

Caring fatherhood in very traditional and masculinized environments has been under-researched. This study analyzed the experience of Spanish policemen who used parental leave to care for their babies alone while their partners returned to paid work. The aim was to ascertain whether use of parental leaves under those circumstances favors the development of caring masculinity. The qualitative methodology deployed consisted in semi-structured interviews conducted in 2014 with a sample of 15 policemen who took parental leave alone for at least 4 weeks while their partners returned to paid work. More specifically, the analysis addressed the respondents’ discourse on the justification of their decision to engage in this type of childcare, the workplace reaction to the decision, and their experience when fathering alone. The findings suggest that, even though hegemonic masculinity persisted in part of these fathers’ discourse and experience, engagement in such innovative practice tended to narrow the divide between traditional and caring masculinity. The conclusion drawn is that encouraging fathers to take leave to care for their children alone is a useful tool for furthering caring masculinity in highly masculinized environments.

Non-Parental Childcare in France, Norway, and Spain
2021
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73306-3_17
The Palgrave Handbook of Family Sociology in Europe (pag:345-360)
Autores: Meil G., Diaz-Gandasegui V., Rogero-García J., Romero-Balsas P.
Editorial: Palgrave Macmillan

Families rely on both parental and non-parental involvement when confronting the challenge of caring for children till the age of three. Drawing from the 2016 edition of the EU’s Survey on Income and Living Conditions, this study analyses non-parental childcare options in France, Norway, and Spain, taken as examples of different welfare state models. It addresses the degree to which parents of children under 3 years old in each country resort to non-parental agents (grandparents and other relatives, professional care providers, and pre-school services). The results reveal the existence of significant differences in non-parental care strategies in the three countries analysed, though some convergence towards defamilialisation and the important impact of household income on the types of non-parental care prevalent in France and Spain.

Spain country note
2021
http://www.leavenetwork.org/lp_and_r_reports/
International Review of Leave Policies and Research 2021
Autores: Meil, G., Escobedo, A., & Lapuerta, I.
The impact of gender values on unpaid work in two countries with different welfare traditions: UK and Spain
2020
http://revintsociologia.revistas.csic.es/index.php/revintsociologia/article/view…
78(2)
e154
Autores: Romero-Balsas, Pedro; O'Brien, Margaret; Castrillo Bustamante, Concepción

This study aimed to compare the gap between gender role values and domestic practice in the UK and Spain. The data were drawn from a sample of British and Spanish male and female respondents to the International Social Survey Programme’s (ISSP) ‘Family and Changing Gender Roles’ module (2002, 2012) and used to create multivariate models using ordinary least-squares regression techniques. The findings suggest that gender role values impacts domestic practice: more time is devoted to housework by egalitarian than non-egalitarian men and less by egalitarian than non-egalitarian women. That effect was not observed for care-giving, however. The impact of gender values on the division by sex of household chores was found to be similar in the UK and Spain. A gradual move to more egalitarian ideals was also observed in both countries over the 10 year period studied.

La ficción de educar a distancia
2020
La ficción de educar a distancia
Revista de Sociología de la Educación Nº: 13 (2) (pag:174-182)
Autores: Jesús Rogero-García

La suspensión de las clases provocada por el COVID-19 y la decisión de continuar con el curso a distancia han implicado que el sistema educativo haya pasado a funcionar sin la presencia de alumnado y profesorado en la escuela. Este artículo sostiene que, en esas circunstancias, el sistema no puede garantizar el derecho a la educación de todo el alumnado. Su objetivo es analizar qué ideas fundamentan la ficción de que sí puede hacerlo, por qué motivos se ha construido y aceptado esta ficción, y qué efectos negativos puede tener. Por último, se ofrecen propuestas de política pública para mitigar estos efectos.

Is involved fatherhood possible? Structural elements influencing the exercise of paternity in Spain and Norway
2019
Journal of Family Issues
Autores: Elizalde San Miguel, B; Díaz Gandasegui, V. & Díaz Gorfinkiel, M.
Family Policy Index: A Tool for Policy Makers to Increase the Effectiveness of Family Policies
2019
Social Indicators Research Nº: 142(1) (pag:387-409)
Autores: Elizalde San Miguel, B; Díaz Gandasegui, V.& Sanz, M. T
El lugar de la mediación religiosa: Una aproximación por métodos mixtos/The place of religious brokerage: A mixed-methods approach
2019
Revista de Investigaciones Sociológicas (REIS) Nº: 165 (pag:101-120)
Autores: Muntanyola-Saura, D. and Fernández, M.
Children’s Emotions in Educational Settings: Teacher Perceptions from Australia, China, Finland, Japan and Spain.
2019
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-019-00944-6
Early Childhood Education Journa
Autores: Pirskanen, H., Jokinen, K., Karhinen-Soppi, A., Notko, M., Lämsä, T., Otani, M., Meil, G., Romero-Balsas, P. & Rogero-García, J.
Spain: leave policy in times of economic crisis, en Peter Moss, Ane-Zofie Duvander y Alison Koslowski (eds.) “Parental Leave and Beyond: Recent International Developments, Current Issues and Future Directions”
2019
Bristol Policy Press.
Autores: Meil G., Romero-Balsas, P. y Rogero-García J.
Permisos de maternidad y paternidad iguales e intransferibles en España
2019
Revista del Ministerio de Trabajo, Migraciones y Seguridad Social (pag:141)
Autores: Meil, G., Rogero-García, J., Romero-Balsas, P., y Castrillo, C.
The effectiveness of corporate gender equality plans in improving leave provisions for fathers in Spain
2019
https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2018.1541165
Community, Work and Family Nº: 22(1) (pag:96-110)
Autores: Meil, G., Romero-Balsas, P., y Castrillo, C.
Sense and Sensibility: using model to examine the relationship between public pre-school places and fertility
2019
Journal of Mathematical Sociology
Autores: Sanz, M. T; Díaz Gandasegui, V; Elizalde San Miguel
Parental leave in Spain: use, motivations and implications
2018
http://dx.doi.org/10.22325/fes/res.2018.32
Revista Española de Sociología Nº: 27 (3 Supl) (pag:27-43)
Autores: Meil G., Romero-Balsas, P. and Rogero-García, J.
Spanish fathers benefiting from maternity leave: Experience and policy demands.
2018
Revista del Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social, Economics and Sociology Nº: 136 (pag:17-37)
Autores: Meil, G
Grandparents’ Role in Spanish Families’ Work/Life Balance Strategies
2018
https://doi.org/10.3138/jcfs.49.2.163
Journal of Comparative Family Studies Nº: 49(2) (pag:163-177)
Autores: Meil, G., Rogero-García, J. & Romero-Balsas, P.
Entre la abnegación y la autonomía. Disposiciones de género en tensión en la experiencia de los vínculos amorosos heterosexuales
2018
https://doi.org/10.22325/fes/res.2018.18
Revista Española de Sociología Nº: 27(3) (pag:379-394)
Autores: Castrillo, C
Heterophily in social groups formation:a social network analysis.
2018
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-018-0777-7
Quality and Quantity.
Autores: Barranco, O., Lozares, C. and Muntanyola-Saura, D.
Family or state responsibility? Elderly-and childcare policy preferences in Spain
2018
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy Nº: 38(11/12) (pag:1101-1115)
Autores: Valarino, I., Meil, G., y Rogero-García, J.
Distributed Attention: An Cognitive Ethnography of Instruction in Sport Settings
2018
Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour Nº: 48(4) (pag:433-454)
Autores: Muntanyola-Saura, D. & Sanchez-Garcia, R
Los malos tratos a las personas mayores
2017
http://www.imserso.es/InterPresent1/groups/imserso/documents/binario/112017001_i…
IMSERSO Informe 2016 (pag:489-539)
Autores: Meil, G
Permisos parentales para hombres y corresponsabilidad en el cuidado de niños
2017
https://dialnet.unirioja.es/ejemplar/477228
Revista del Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social Nº: 131 (pag:15-34)
Autores: Meil, G.
Fathers on Leave Alone in Spain: ‘Hey, I Want to Be Able to Do It Like That, Too’
2017
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42970-0_7
M. O’Brien, K. Wall (eds.), “Comparative Perspectives on Work-Life Balance and Gender Equality”, Springer, Life Course Research and Social Policies Nº: 6
Autores: Meil, G., Romero-Balsas, P. y Rogero-García, J.
Caring for children under three years in two different models of welfare states: the cases of Spain and Norway.
2017
Journal of Comparative Family Studies Nº: 48(2)
Autores: Díaz Gandasegui, V., Díaz Gorfinkiel, M. & Elizalde San Miguel, B.
Why Parents Take Unpaid Parental Leave: Evidence from Spain. In: Česnuitytė V., Lück D., D. Widmer E. (eds) Family Continuity and Change. Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life.
2017
https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59028-2_11
Palgrave Macmillan, London
Autores: Meil G., Romero-Balsas P., Rogero-García J.
Job Mobility and Subjective Well-being in Europe. Do Highly Mobile Workers Feel Worse?
2017
Cuadernos de Deusto Nº: 56 (pag:105-131)
Autores: Meil, G. & Romero-Balsas, P
Representaciones sociales de los padres y madres sobre la educación pública y privada en España
2016
Revista de la Asociación de Sociología de la Educación Nº: 9(1) (pag:46-58)
Autores: Rogero-García, J., Andrés Candelas, M.
“La violencia contra las mujeres en España” en Fundación Encuentro, España 2016.
2016
http://www.informe-espana.es/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Parte-segunda.pdf
Una interpretación de su realidad social, Universidad Pontificia de Comillas Nº: ISBN 978-84-8468-663-7 (pag:85-135)
Autores: Meil, G
Los permisos parentales para el cuidado de niños: percepción social y usos de los mismos entre los padres y las madres.
2016
Nuevos retos de la maternidad y la paternidad en el s. XXI (pag:235-258)
Autores: Meil, G., & Romero-Balsas, P.
La incertidumbre amorosa contemporánea. Estrategias de los jóvenes
2016
Política y Sociedad Nº: 53 (pag:443-462)
Autores: Castrillo, C
Caregiver Leave-Taking in Spain: Rate, Motivations, and Barriers
2016
https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2016.1145506.
Journal of Aging & Social Policy Nº: 28(2) (pag:98-112)
Autores: Rogero-García, J. y García-Sainz, C.
Consecuencias del permiso de paternidad en el reparto de tareas y cuidados en la pareja/Consequences Paternity Leave on Allocation of Childcare and Domestic Tasks
2015
Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas (Reis) (pag:87-109)
Autores: Romero-Balsas, P
Familia
2015
Cristóbal Torres (ed), España 2015
Autores: Meil, G.
Does paternal childcare replace grandparental support in dual-earner families?
2015
https://doi.org/10.1080/19424620.2015.1009934
Family Science Nº: 6:1 (pag:31-37)
Autores: Meil, G. y Rogero-García, J.
Transiciones de entrada y salida en la movilidad geográfica circular y bienestar subjetivo
2015
Revista del Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social (pag:215-233)
Autores: Meil, G., & Romero Balsas, P
Crisis y estado de bienestar en el cuidado de menores: reflexiones conceptuales a partir de un estudio comparado de España y Noruega.
2015
Autores: Elizalde San Miguel, B., Díaz Gandasegui, V. & Díaz Gorfinkiel, M.
What is the best care for community-dwelling dependent adults? Sources of care and perception of unmet needs in Spain.
2014
https://doi.org/10.3989/ris.2012.09.12
Revista Internacional de Sociología Nº: 72(2) (pag:403-427)
Autores: Rogero-García, J. y Ahmed-Mohamed, K.
Gasto público y de las familias en educación en España: Diferencias entre centros públicos y concertados.
2014
Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas Nº: 147 (pag:121-132)
Autores: Rogero-García, J. y Mario Andrés-Candelas
Interviewing and surveying over the phone: a reflexive account of a research on parenting
2014
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-013-9911-8
Quality & Quantity Nº: 48(5) (pag:2615-2630)
Autores: Muntanyola-Saura, D. & Romero-Balsas, P
How Multimodality shapes Creative Choice in Dance
2014
Revista Internacional de Sociología Nº: 72(3) (pag:563-582)
Autores: Muntanyola-Saura, D.
I Need my Space: The Discursive Construction of Parenthood. Labrys
2014
Études feministes,estudios feministas Nº: 26
Autores: Muntanyola-Saura, D.
Abuelas, abuelos y padres varones en el cuidado de la infancia.
2014
Cuadernos de Relaciones Laborales Nº: 32(1) (pag:49-67)
Autores: Meil, G. y Rogero-García, J.
Decision‐making factors within paternity and parental leaves: Why Spanish fathers take time off from work.
2013
https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12004
Gender, Work & Organization Nº: 20(6) (pag:678-691)
Autores: Romero‐Balsas, P., Muntanyola‐Saura, D., & Rogero‐García, J
Educar para cuidar y ser cuidados
2013
Aula de Innovación Educativa Nº: 218 (pag:33-37)
Autores: Rogero Anaya, J. y Rogero García, J.
Fathers taking paternity leave in Spain: which characteristics foster and which hampers the use of paternity leave?
2012
https://doi.org/10.3280/SP2012-SU3006
Sociologia e Politiche Sociali (pag:25-55)
Autores: Romero-Balsas, P