Reserved paternity leave in a political vacuum
A normative study of Danish gender equality politics based on the perspective of fathers’ rights

Abstract: Equality in Denmark is a core value and Denmark is regarded as a country that both values and promotes gender equality. However, in terms of equality measurement, Denmark is rapidly dropping in global rankings as other Nordic countries introduce equality-promoting legislation, such as reserved paternity leave, while Denmark rests on its reputation. This presentation aims at identifying the factors that strive to explain why gender equality legislation, such as reserved paternity leave, has not been introduced in Denmark. Factors such as history, public discourse, cultural norms and political legislation will be explored as contributing factors. The outset being how gender equality legislation has historically been aimed at ensuring women’s rights and how this bias affects equality policy in a contemporary perspective, where the absence of focus on men and fathers’ rights is pronounced. The presentation is informed by historical institutionalism, hegemonic masculinity and critical discourse analysis which are used to describe, analyse and discuss empirical findings. The analysis consists of process tracing analysis and critical discourse analysis, respectively. Process tracing analysis, used in conjunction with historical institutionalism identifies historical and legislative influencing factors while critical discourse analysis, investigates which discourses and norms can be identified. The two approaches are first examined independently and then in conjunction with one another to provide an overall picture of the paternity leave situation in Denmark. The guiding principle of which, is informed by liberal feminist ideology and hegemonic masculinity ideals, which, in contrast to modern equality feminism, aims to ensure equal opportunities for the individual, and leaves the implementation of gender equality as a free choice within the familial context. Additionally, public authorities are unconsciously maintaining stereotypical gender roles which contributes to the formation of the norms that Danish families adhere to when allocating parental leave between mother and father. The presentation then asks the question of whether this situation is a problem at all, and if so, what recommendations can be made in order to implement a more equitable approach to the sharing of paternal leave within a Danish context. Finally, a critique of the research design is included to both provide transparency and stimulate further academic exploration.

The entire thesis can be read here.