Policy as normative influence? On the relationship between parental leave policy and social norms in gender division of childcare across 48 countries

Policy as normative influence? On the relationship between parental leave policy and social norms in gender division of childcare across 48 countries. Schindler, S., Schuster, C., Olsson, M. I. T., Froehlich, L., Hübner, A., Block, K., Van Laar, C., Schmader, T., Meeussen, L., Van Grootel, S., Croft, A., Sun, M. S., Ainsaar, M., Aarntzen, L., Adamus, M., Anderson, J., Atkinson, C., Avicenna, M., Bąbel, P., Barth, M., Benson‐Greenwald, T., Maloku, E., Berent, J., Bergsieker, H. B., Biernat, M., Birneanu, A., Bodinaku, B., Bosak, J., Bosson, J., Branković, M., Burkauskas, J., Čavojová, V., Cheryan, S., Choi, E., Choi, I., Contreras‐Ibáñez, C. C., Coogan, A., Danyliuk, I., Dar‐Nimrod, I., Dasgupta, N., De Lemus, S., Devos, T., Diab, M., Diekman, A. B., Efremova, M., Eisner, L., Eller, A., Erentaite, R., Fedáková, D., Franc, R., Gartzia, L., Gavreliuc, A., Gavreliuc, D., Gecaite‐Stonciene, J., Germano, A. L., Giovannelli, I., Gismondi Diaz, R., Gitikhmayeva, L., Gizaw, A. M., Gjoneska, B., González, O. M., González, R., Grijalva, I. D., Güngör, D., Gustafsson Sendén, M., Hall, W., Harb, C., Hassan, B., Hässler, T., Hawi, D. R., Henningsen, L., Hoppe, A., Ishii, K., Jakšić, I., Jasini, A., Jurkevičienė, J., Kelmendi, K., Kirby, T. A., Kitakaji, Y., Kosakowska‐Berezecka, N., Kozytska, I., Kulich, C., Kundtová‐Klocová, E., Kunuroglu, F., Aidy, C. L., Lee, A., Lindqvist, A., López‐López, W., Luzvinda, L., Maricchiolo, F., Martinot, D., McNamara, R. A., Meister, A., Melka, T. L., Mickuviene, N., Miranda‐Orrego, M. I., Mkamwa, T., Morandini, J., Morton, T., Mrisho, D., Nikitin, J., Otten, S., Pacilli, M. G., Page‐Gould, E., Perandrés‐Gómez, A., Pizarro, J., Pop‐Jordanova, N., Pyrkosz‐Pacyna, J., Quta, S., Ramis, T., Rani, N., Redersdorff, S., Régner, I., Renström, E. A., Rivera‐Rodriguez, A., Esmeralda, R. T., Ryabichenko, T., Saab, R., Sakata, K., Samekin, A., Sánchez‐Pacheco, T., Scheifele, C., Schulmeyer, M. K., Sczesny, S., Sirlopú, D., Smith‐Castro, V., Soo, K., Spaccatini, F., Steele, J. R., Steffens, M. C., Sucic, I., Vandello, J., Velásquez‐Díaz, L. M., Vink, M., Vives, E., Warkineh, T. Z., Žeželj, I., Zhang, X., Zhao, X., Koc, Y., Kocak, Ö. E., & Martiny, S. E. British Journal of Social Psychology, 64(2):e12806, April, 2025.

Paper doi abstract bibtex

Abstract In the present work, we addressed the relationship between parental leave policies and social norms. Using a pre‐registered, cross‐national approach, we examined the relationship between parental leave policies and the perception of social norms for the gender division of childcare. In this study, 19,259 students (11,924 women) from 48 countries indicated the degree to which they believe childcare is (descriptive norm) and should be (prescriptive norm) equally divided among mothers and fathers. Policies were primarily operationalized as the existence of parental leave options in the respective country. The descriptive and prescriptive norms of equal division of childcare were stronger when parental leave was available in a country – also when controlling for potential confounding variables. Moreover, analyses of time since policy change suggested that policy change may initially affect prescriptive norms and then descriptive norms at a later point. However, due to the cross‐sectional nature of the data, drawing causal inferences is difficult.

@article{schindler_policy_2025,
	title = {Policy as normative influence? {On} the relationship between parental leave policy and social norms in gender division of childcare across 48 countries},
	volume = {64},
	issn = {0144-6665, 2044-8309},
	shorttitle = {Policy as normative influence?},
	url = {https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjso.12806},
	doi = {10.1111/bjso.12806},
	abstract = {Abstract
            In the present work, we addressed the relationship between parental leave policies and social norms. Using a pre‐registered, cross‐national approach, we examined the relationship between parental leave policies and the perception of social norms for the gender division of childcare. In this study, 19,259 students (11,924 women) from 48 countries indicated the degree to which they believe childcare is (descriptive norm) and should be (prescriptive norm) equally divided among mothers and fathers. Policies were primarily operationalized as the existence of parental leave options in the respective country. The descriptive and prescriptive norms of equal division of childcare were stronger when parental leave was available in a country – also when controlling for potential confounding variables. Moreover, analyses of time since policy change suggested that policy change may initially affect prescriptive norms and then descriptive norms at a later point. However, due to the cross‐sectional nature of the data, drawing causal inferences is difficult.},
	language = {en},
	number = {2},
	urldate = {2025-04-07},
	journal = {British Journal of Social Psychology},
	author = {Schindler, Simon and Schuster, Carolin and Olsson, Maria I. T. and Froehlich, Laura and Hübner, Ann‐Kathrin and Block, Katharina and Van Laar, Colette and Schmader, Toni and Meeussen, Loes and Van Grootel, Sanne and Croft, Alyssa and Sun, Molly Shuyi and Ainsaar, Mare and Aarntzen, Lianne and Adamus, Magdalena and Anderson, Joel and Atkinson, Ciara and Avicenna, Mohamad and Bąbel, Przemysław and Barth, Markus and Benson‐Greenwald, Tessa and Maloku, Edona and Berent, Jacques and Bergsieker, Hilary B. and Biernat, Monica and Birneanu, Andreea and Bodinaku, Blerta and Bosak, Janine and Bosson, Jennifer and Branković, Marija and Burkauskas, Julius and Čavojová, Vladimíra and Cheryan, Sapna and Choi, Eunsoo and Choi, Incheol and Contreras‐Ibáñez, Carlos C. and Coogan, Andrew and Danyliuk, Ivan and Dar‐Nimrod, Ilan and Dasgupta, Nilanjana and De Lemus, Soledad and Devos, Thierry and Diab, Marwan and Diekman, Amanda B. and Efremova, Maria and Eisner, Léïla and Eller, Anja and Erentaite, Rasa and Fedáková, Denisa and Franc, Renata and Gartzia, Leire and Gavreliuc, Alin and Gavreliuc, Dana and Gecaite‐Stonciene, Julija and Germano, Adriana L. and Giovannelli, Ilaria and Gismondi Diaz, Renzo and Gitikhmayeva, Lyudmila and Gizaw, Abiy Menkir and Gjoneska, Biljana and González, Omar Martínez and González, Roberto and Grijalva, Isaac David and Güngör, Derya and Gustafsson Sendén, Marie and Hall, William and Harb, Charles and Hassan, Bushra and Hässler, Tabea and Hawi, Diala R. and Henningsen, Levke and Hoppe, Annedore and Ishii, Keiko and Jakšić, Ivana and Jasini, Alba and Jurkevičienė, Jurgita and Kelmendi, Kaltrina and Kirby, Teri A. and Kitakaji, Yoko and Kosakowska‐Berezecka, Natasza and Kozytska, Inna and Kulich, Clara and Kundtová‐Klocová, Eva and Kunuroglu, Filiz and Aidy, Christina Lapytskaia and Lee, Albert and Lindqvist, Anna and López‐López, Wilson and Luzvinda, Liany and Maricchiolo, Fridanna and Martinot, Delphine and McNamara, Rita Anne and Meister, Alyson and Melka, Tizita Lemma and Mickuviene, Narseta and Miranda‐Orrego, María Isabel and Mkamwa, Thadeus and Morandini, James and Morton, Thomas and Mrisho, David and Nikitin, Jana and Otten, Sabine and Pacilli, Maria Giuseppina and Page‐Gould, Elizabeth and Perandrés‐Gómez, Ana and Pizarro, Jon and Pop‐Jordanova, Nada and Pyrkosz‐Pacyna, Joanna and Quta, Sameir and Ramis, TamilSelvan and Rani, Nitya and Redersdorff, Sandrine and Régner, Isabelle and Renström, Emma A. and Rivera‐Rodriguez, Adrian and Esmeralda, Rocha‐Sánchez Tania and Ryabichenko, Tatiana and Saab, Rim and Sakata, Kiriko and Samekin, Adil and Sánchez‐Pacheco, Tracy and Scheifele, Carolin and Schulmeyer, Marion K. and Sczesny, Sabine and Sirlopú, David and Smith‐Castro, Vanessa and Soo, Kadri and Spaccatini, Federica and Steele, Jennifer R. and Steffens, Melanie C. and Sucic, Ines and Vandello, Joseph and Velásquez‐Díaz, Laura Maria and Vink, Melissa and Vives, Eva and Warkineh, Turuwark Zalalam and Žeželj, Iris and Zhang, Xiaoxiao and Zhao, Xian and Koc, Yasin and Kocak, Ömer Erdem and Martiny, Sarah E.},
	month = apr,
	year = {2025},
	pages = {e12806},
}

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