Generous Family Policies May Selectively Increase Women's Maternity Benefits

Eesti Rahvusringhääling

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Although the generous parental benefit system in Estonia allows mothers to stay home with their children longer, long parental leave can also reinforce gender stereotypes and widen the wage gap. Also, current family policy measures primarily benefit mothers with higher education and status, which could lead to more national attention to early childhood education to reduce disparities, sociologists point out.