Attitudes towards the division of parental leave : evidence from Slovenia

Jagodic, Ana (author), Švab, Alenka (author), Hafner-Fink, Mitja (author)

This study examines attitudes towards the division of parental leave between mothers and fathers in Slovenia, their change over time, and their association with gender role attitudes and other individual characteristics. Drawing on the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 2012 and 2022 Family and Changing Gender Roles modules, it situates Slovenia within the EU context. Although support for an egalitarian leave division increased significantly between 2012 and 2022, Slovenia remained among the analysed EU countries with the lowest support. Contrary to theoretical expectations, gender role attitudes were not significantly associated with this support. Younger respondents were more likely to support an egalitarian division, although age differences narrowed as support increased most among the oldest. Support was lower among respondents with caregiving responsibilities. Differences were observed by religious affiliation, political orientation and place of residence. These patterns coexist with fathers’ limited uptake of leave and a persistently gendered division of care.

• Language: English
• Keywords: parental leave, gender role attitudes, family policy, International Social Survey Programme, Slovenia
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Geographic coverage: Slovenija
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: In print
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 25 str.
• Numbering: Vol. , no.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-190720
• UDC: 331.322.5:316.653497.4)
• ISSN on article: 0020-7659
• DOI: 10.1080/00207659.2026.2749789
• COBISS.SI-ID: 303122435
• Publication date in RUL: 02.11.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of sociology
• Shortened title: Int. j. sociol.
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0020-7659
• COBISS.SI-ID: 16396381

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: starševski dopust, družinska politika, javno mnenje, Slovenija

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0151
• Name: Slovensko javno mnenje

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0183
• Name: Socialna psihologija in sociologija vsakdanjega življenja