Understanding Men’s Utilization of Paid Parental Leave: A Competing Identities Perspective

Lydia Craig

Advisor: Lauren E. Kuykendall, PhD, Department of Psychology

Committee Members: Seth Kaplan, Olivia O'Neill

Online Location, https://gmu.zoom.us/j/99543860439?pwd=VzFZZzZjZHhkNk9ZL3BRTVhzL0gzUT09 Passcode: 662630
May 28, 2021, 11:00 AM to 01:00 PM

Abstract:

The vast majority of new fathers in the US take less than 2 weeks off when their children are born. While some men take little to no leave because of financial barriers associated with unpaid leave, many others who do have access to paid leave take fewer days than allotted. In this research, I seek to explain why this underutilization may occur. From an identity theory perspective, I propose that men’s leave utilization is affected by what it means to them to be good parents and employees. More specifically, I propose that men will plan to take more days to the extent that they expect themselves to be nurturers and caretakers (roles that require more time spent with one’s children) and will plan to take fewer days to the extent that they expect themselves to be providers (i.e., breadwinners) and ideal workers (roles that require greater devotion to work). In addition to the main effects of these identities on leave use intentions, I explore the moderating effects of (1) perceptions of spouses’/partners’ expectations, (2) organizational norms for men’s leave use, and (3) distance (i.e., time) from leave. I test the proposed theoretical model across four studies in which I develop and validate measures for the identity constructs (Studies 1-3) and examine whether these constructs predict leave use intentions (Study 4). Results showed that men’s parental identities were unrelated to leave use intentions, regardless of their spouses’/partners’ expectations. In contrast, the extent to which men identify as ideal workers was negatively related to leave use intentions, such that a single point increase in ideal worker identification was associated with 5 fewer planned days of leave. However, this negative effect was mitigated when men’s leave use was normative in their organization. Overall, the results highlight the importance of men’s identities as employees and of organizational norms around policy utilization. Implications for theory, future research, and practice are discussed.