Does taking parental leave make you a more likeable worker? Evidence from a survey experiment

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research on perceptions of workers who take paid parental leave largely focuses on the negative consequences associated with leave-taking. However, given widespread support for paid parental leave within the U.S., it is possible that workers may also be viewed positively on certain dimensions for taking parental leave. Using a novel survey experiment that includes vignettes of workers who consider taking paid parental leave (N = 1,625), we consider whether paid parental leave-taking affects the perceived likeability of workers and whether this relationship varies between mothers and fathers. Results show that both mothers and fathers who take longer parental leaves are seen as more likeable, although the effects are linear for mothers (mothers are consistently seen as more likeable when they take longer leaves) and nonlinear for fathers (fathers are seen as most likeable when they take moderate amounts of leave and are penalized at long lengths of leave). We also find that gendered perceptions of leave-taking workers (as more communal and more feminine) explain part of the effect of paid leave-taking on perceived likeability. Overall, results from this study illustrate one positive perception of workers who take paid parental leave, enhancing our understanding of the benefits of paid parental leave for workers.