Researchers determined fathers who would have been eligible for paternity leave did almost an hour more childcare a day from 2009 to 2010, compared to ineligible fathers. Photograph: Zu Sanchez Photography/Getty Images

Paternity leave equals to men want fewer children, study finds

A study in Spain has found that parents who received paid paternity leave took longer to have another child while men desire for more children dropped.

Like in any other countries, paternity is a set of policies designed to promote gender equality along with fertility, said one of the researchers for the report, Libertad González.  González also added that Spain is a low-fertility country. However, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

According to a study which was published in the Journal of Public Economics and done by González and the professor from Spain’s Universitat Pompeau Fabra and University of Barcelona, Lídia Farré, paid paternity has led to delays in fertility with many of them are waiting longer to have more children.

The study was initially set out by Farré and González to study the effects of paid paternity leave on Spanish gender equality. As a result, they found out that women who went back to work less unpaid leave. Furthermore, the researchers found that fathers tend to spend more time with their children then González comes up with a conclusion where fathers could invest more in his child rather than having more of them.

However, Farré and González are hopeful for their next research, testing paternity leave can affect the way children think about gender roles.