Event

Productivity takes Leave? The effect of maternity and paternity leave policy on our lives and the economy

Motherhood and professional advancements often conflict, with many sectors demonstrating gender disparities in senior ranks. One explanation for this inequality is the unequal caregiving responsibilities borne by women, particularly early in their children’s lives. In this event, Professor Vera Troeger of the Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy at the University of Warwick discussed the implications for individuals, families, society and the economy of maternity and paternity policies.

Professor Troeger used the case study of female academics to ask whether differing maternity leave provision causes differences in the productivity, career paths and job satisfaction of women in the workplace. Vera described how outcomes for female academics vary, and possible causes for this, including changes in UK law, and the wide variation in maternity leave benefits across the higher education sector. She  also discussed why universities across the UK have implemented such different maternity policies, drawing conclusions for what this might mean for women working in other sectors, as well as fathers and other caregivers.

Speaker
Professor Vera Troeger
Professor of Quantitative Political Economy at the University of Warwick
Research Theme Leader, Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy

About the speaker
Vera Troeger is Professor of Quantitative Political Science at the Economics Department and the Department for Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick. She joined CAGE (Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy) in August 2011. Vera is the editor-in-chief of the journal Political Science Research and Methods, the official journal of the European Political Science Association, published by Cambridge University Press. She is also an associate editor of Political Analysis. Vera also serves on the editorial boards of the European Journal of Political Research, and the Journal of European Public Policy. She is a council member of the newly founded European Political Science Association and the Midwest Political Science Association.

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