CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Farrand, Michelle |
|---|---|
| Title | Austrian Parental Leave System and its Impact on Parental Choices: A Feminist Critical Policy Analysis |
| Summary | Austria is categorized in welfare policy literature as a conservative welfare state that perpetuates the gendered roles of male breadwinner and female caregiver. Using this as a contextual basis, this thesis is the first research to employ an intersectional feminist critical framework to analyze Austria’s parental leave and childcare allowance systems. I explore the ways in which these policies perpetuate inequalities based on gender, class, sexuality, and nationality by adopting two different methods of analysis. The first is a policy document analysis in which I examine the details of the policies and the presentation of the information to ascertain whether parents may face barriers in taking protected leave or receiving allowance benefits. The second is a qualitative analysis of 11 interviews with parents who had experience with the system, ensuring a diverse sample pool facilitated an intersectional feminist analysis to determine how the policies supported or prevented parents from taking leave and achieving their ideal division of paid and care labor. Through the policy document analysis, I found the policies to perpetuate inequalities in all aspects I explored. Through their deep complexity and the confusing presentation of information, the lack of languages outside German and English, the poor quality of information in English, the way the policies are both gendered and gendering, as well as the use of gender-neutral and gender-restrictive language, Austria’s parental leave and childcare allowance systems present barriers to parents understanding and utilizing all the available options. My interview analysis reflects similar findings, parents spoke of the complexity of the policies resulting in the adoption of the traditional model of male breadwinner and female caregiver since this was the easiest and most well-known option. Furthermore, while the policies offer individualization to a certain extent, many interviewees expressed a desire for greater flexibility to be able to achieve their ideal division of childcare and paid labor between both parents. Finally, I ascertain that cultural expectations in Austria reinforce a traditionally gendered division and, in combination with the effects of the policy, parents found themselves in stereotypical roles despite their desire for greater equality in their relationship. |
| Supervisor | Szikra, Dorottya |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/farrand_michelle.pdf |
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