Can Public Policies Break the Gender Mold? Evidence from Paternity Leave Reforms

• Authors: Sébastien Fontenay and Libertad González.
• BSE Working Paper: 1422 | February 24
• Keywords: regression discontinuity , paternity leave , gender norms , female-dominated occupations
• JEL codes: J08, J13, J16, J18

We examine how paternity leave policies affect gender role attitudes in the next generation using an Implicit Association Test with 5,000 online respondents across six countries. Leveraging a Regression Discontinuity Design, we find a significant decline in gender-stereotypical attitudes among men born post-paternity leave implementation. This attitudinal shift is reflected in career choices: men whose fathers were affected by the reform are more inclined to pursue counter-stereotypical occupations in healthcare or education. Our findings highlight the potential of paternity leave policies to promote egalitarian gender norms and reduce occupational gender segregation in the next generation.