PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Parenting leaves can be provided universally to all parents, but often they are selective for particular groups. The long-neglected question of leave inclusiveness has been put centre stage in leave policy research. In this concluding chapter, we pay specific attention to this issue by, first, discussing both extant research on inclusiveness and respective findings from this Research Handbook focusing on: (1) unequal access and gender; (2) unequal access and household conditions (e.g., LGBTIQ+ parents, single/separated parents); (3) unequal access and socioeconomic conditions (e.g., employment, migrations); as well as (4) unequal access and global (e.g., North-South) perspectives. Then, ideas on reconfiguring leave as a social right are discussed, which might help overcome inequalities in leave rights. Finally, some ideas for a parenting leave research agenda for the next decade are provided, including the issue of leave and inequalities alongside a strengthening of the global and a life-course perspective and situating parenting-leave research in broader work-care policies and welfare arrangements.