I modelli di politiche relative ai congedi e l'articolazione lavoro/famiglia in Europa: una prospettiva comparativa

Leave arrangements for parents may be seen as a fundamental element of the policy “package” regarding the reconciliation of work and family life. Paid maternity leave and paid or unpaid parental leave are now available throughout Europe – Western, Central and Eastern (Deven and Moss, 2002). Policy developments over the last decade have also increased the presence of paternity leave and of the ‘father’s quota’, and some countries have encouraged long periods of parental leave, with an emphasis on “home care” for children below age three. Both developments raise the issue of gender equality in leave policy. Although work-family balance is high on the policy agenda, both at national and EU levels, within Europe there are considerable variations in the structuring of leave arrangements, as well as in the rationales and objectives of leave policy. Our aim in this paper is to identify the main “leave policy models” which exist in contemporary European society. Drawing on comparative data for 19 European countries and on varied statistical data concerning work/family issues in Europe, we will examine major cross-national variations in leave policy measures and analyse their interconnections with parental employment, early childhood services, and policies linking work, family and gender.