Waiting for the incentives to work: comparative analysis of the parental leave policies in the Visegrad countries

This article focuses on the relationship between gender, employment and policy in the four 'Visegrad' countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Family policy in the 'Visegrad' countries has usually been labelled as 'familialistic' because of policies that favoured parental care of young children. The article aims to answer the questions: How far do current leave and childcare policies adhere to a 'familialistic' model, and have recent developments diluted or strengthened adherence? What are the consequences today of parenthood for women's employment? What are the possible explanations for these consequences, including the role of explicit or implicit familialism? The focus is on similarities and differences between the countries. The article shows (1) that Poland differs in some important respects (e. g. maternal employment, leave policies) from other Visegrad countries; (2) that, due to the limited availability of good quality part-time employment, parents in 'Visegrad' countries are not likely to use the flexible parental leave provision; (3) the obstacles (design of leave policies; gender pay gap, social attitudes) to fathers using their leave entitlements; and (4) the conflicting expectations and demands (financial necessity to earn money, social expectation to be a good mother, fulfilling professional ambitions) women are subject to.