“Who if Not a Mother?”: Development of Parental Leave Design in Russia

Abstract

There is an established system of parental leave in Russia. According to the legislation, parental leave can be used not only by the mother, but also by the father or other relative of the child. Nevertheless, men rarely use this right; according to statistics, only 2% of Russian fathers go on parental leave instead of their spouse. The paper seeks to identify the underlying causes of this situation. To study the problem, we conducted a series of in-depth semi-formal interviews with mothers and fathers whose families were eligible for parental leave at the time of the study (n = 30). We have identified the perception of this stage of family life by both parents (as a “leave-work” or “leave-vacation”), the reasons for fathers’ refusal to actively engage in the situation, including the likelihood of mothers’ unwillingness to let fathers be involved. The reasons are classified into objective and subjective. Gender stereotypes are revealed from two positions: female and male. The results of the study indicate the need to transform the current system of parental leave in Russia and purposefully work with public opinion in this area.