Who cares? Determinants of the fathers' use of parental leave in Germany

The aim of this study is the identification of socio-economic and workplacerelated determinants of the fathers' use of parental leave after the introduction of the Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act in Germany in 2007. This reform implied a strong paradigm shift in German family policy and led to a strong increase in the share of leaves taken by fathers. Using the 2007 German Microcensus as a data basis, three logistic models are estimated. The main results include a strong positive influence of the female partner's employment status and income as well as of variables that are related to the job security of both spouses. Overall, the findings are partly in line with German studies that have been conducted under the former family policy regime and partly with Scandinavian studies.