In its theoretical introduction, this master’s thesis examines fatherhood, micro-entrepreneurship, and the reconciliation of work and family life. In the legal section, it focuses on paternity and parental leave and the corresponding benefits, reviews changes over time in Slovenia and beyond, and examines the actual utilization of these leaves.
In the empirical part of the thesis, I examine the impact of micro-entrepreneurship on the actual use of paternity and parental leave and what the consequences of this are for family dynamics. I aim to answer research questions regarding the experiences of fathers who are micro-entrepreneurs with taking paternity and parental leave: how fathers’ microbusiness affected the use of parenthood-related leave, what obstacles they faced in taking it, and how they dealt with them, how various types of support affected them, and how domestic labour responsibilities were divided between partners. In addition, I was interested in their suggestions for changes regarding the intersection of work and parenthood—what advice they would give to another father who is a micro-entrepreneur, and what they would change in the Slovenian legal framework.
Using a qualitative study and a non-probability convenience sample of ten fathers who, as micro-entrepreneurs, took parenthood-related leave, I concluded that micro-entrepreneurship has a significant impact on the length of parental leave, during which micro-entrepreneurs often continue working. The financial impact of being absent from work is a significant factor in deciding on the duration of leave and on whether to remain available or even work as normal while on leave. Slovenian legislation discourages the use of these leaves in the form of partial absence from work; consequently, all interviewees took their leave as a full absence from work, with nine out of ten fathers actually performing (at least the most essential) work during that time. Despite taking only a short period of leave—which typically lasted about 15 days, or a portion that cannot be transferred to the child’s mother— after officially returning to work, they often worked longer hours to make up for the period of reduced productivity and retain clients. The child’s mother took on a greater share of domestic responsibilities after that, or the extent of unpaid work at home did not change before, during, or after the leave was taken, which indicates that the right of parenthood-related leave for fathers provides only short-term support for increasing gender equality in the private sphere. The interviewees’ desires and actual involvement in household work and caring for the new family member varied and reflected the two most common types of fathers in Slovenia. The interviewed fathers did not personally experience any prejudice due to their use of paternity and parental leave or their greater involvement in household work; however, some expressed their own or general societal expectations that the mother is more involved in childcare than the father. At home, they were supported by their partners and both their parents, but at work they rarely sought any kind of assistance. Micro-entrepreneurs with employees had not trained them to take over at least some of their tasks, which increased the need for their presence at work. Most interviewees agreed that constant work and the inability to disconnect are part of running a microbusiness, and they are accustomed to this even during other types of official absences from work. They cannot imagine taking paternity and parental leave to the extent currently intended for fathers under Slovenian law. However, they recommend that every father take at least part of his parental leave and devote as much time as possible to his family during that time. In general, they are satisfied with the Slovenian legal framework in this area, but they point out, above all, that it is based on the logic of regular employment and does not take into account the dynamic nature of entrepreneurship. For micro-entrepreneurs, any absence from work potentially jeopardizes their (future) financial stability.
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