The right of Russian fathers to parental leave: is a transformation of an established system necessary?

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to research the current state of fathers' involvement in childcare during parental leave and to assess attitudes of Russian population towards possible measures that can expand the use of parental leave by fathers in Russia.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a survey of Russian parents with children under the age of 18 months in 2022. The sample accounts for 1,000 people; the survey covered almost all Russian regions.FindingsThe authors found that the ideal workload of fathers is not expected to exceed a third of the total parental workload. Russian parents are not ready to admit dissatisfaction with the existing distribution of workload during parental leave. However, an egalitarian demand for greater involvement of fathers in parental responsibilities is forming, and an interest in transforming the parental leave policy is emerging.Originality/valueThe value of the study consists of assessing the effectiveness of measures that may have a beneficial effect on the use of parental leave by fathers, as well as identifying consequences of the possible introduction of mandatory parental leave for fathers.

Automated summary

The purpose of this study is to examine fathers' involvement in childcare during parental leave in Russia and to assess the attitudes of the Russian population towards measures that can increase fathers' utilization of parental leave. The findings indicate that Russian parents are generally satisfied with the current workload distribution during parental leave. However, there is an increasing demand for greater involvement of fathers in childcare responsibilities and an interest in transforming parental leave policies.