%0 Journal Article
%T Policy reform and fathersĄ¯ use of parental leave in Germany: The role of education and workplace characteristics
%A Esther Geisler
%A Michaela Kreyenfeld
%J Journal of European Social Policy
%@ 1461-7269
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0958928718765638
%X The introduction of the parental leave benefit scheme in 2007 is widely regarded as a landmark reform that has shifted the German welfare state towards a model that better supports work and family life compatibility. In this article, we investigate whether and how this reform has affected menĄ¯s use of parental leave based on data from the German microcensus of 1999¨C2012. We find that parental leave usage has increased across all educational levels, but the shift has been strongest for university-educated fathers. Public sector employment is beneficial for menĄ¯s uptake of leave, while self-employment and temporary work lowers fathersĄ¯ chances of taking leave. The parental leave reform has not affected these associations much
%K Family policies
%K fathersĄ¯ involvement
%K Germany
%K parental leave
%K parental leave benefit reform
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0958928718765638