Who Cares?

Abstract

This article compares leave of absence for child care in the five Nordic countries. Despite differences in the length of the time periods and in economic compensations, similarities in the legislations' structures point towards a fundamental patriarchal mentality. When applied to the gender-structured working world, parents use the legal rights in a way that preserves the unequal sharing of economic and practical parenting The study shows the importance of taking into account women's working conditions when trying to explain both their attachment to work and the sharing of care responsibilities between parents.