Gayle Kaufman

Davidson College · Department of Sociology

The 20th International Review is accompanied by open-source Excel data for 2023 and 2024, making it easier to reuse the data. The International Network on Leave Policies and Research has been producing an annual review of leave policies and related research since 2005 (for earlier reviews, go to the network’s website www.leavenetwork.org). The revi...

Objective With needed and growing attention to sexual minorities and unmarried individuals, there is a need to consider how best to capture relationships and relationship organization in family studies. Background Traditional measures of marital status are commonly used to examine differences in relationships and socioeconomic outcomes, but they d...

Introduction Recent research shows an increase in polyamory and acceptance of polyamorous relationships. However, there is still limited research on broader attitudes toward monogamy and polyamory, particularly regarding legal rights and with a national sample. This study examines the impact of cohort, sexual orientation, and contact with polyamori...

The International Network on Leave Policies and Research has been producing an annual review of leave policies and related research since 2005. The review covers Maternity, Paternity and Parental leaves; leave to care for sick children and other employment-related measures to support working parents; and early childhood education and care policy....

Purpose: Transgender and nonbinary individuals often have limited educational and economic resources, lack social capital such as family and community support, and face discrimination. These factors are likely to have negative consequences for subjective well-being of transgender individuals. Yet, there is limited research using a national sample a...

With Article 750 of the Japanese Civil Code, Japan is the only industrialized country where married couples must share one family name. This law has been upheld repeatedly in the past decade despite changes in gender, marriage, and family patterns. This chapter first provides a brief history of the shared marital surname rule as a defining feature...

This paper examines the relationship between gender ideology and attitudes toward parental leave. We use data from two original survey experiments with a total analytic sample of 3332 respondents. Using an experimental design where participants evaluate a new parent’s decision about taking parental leave in light of the employer’s leave policies, a...

Here we present the Familydemic Cross Country and Gender Dataset (FCCGD), which offers cross country and gender comparative data on work and family outcomes among parents of dependent children, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. It covers six countries from two continents representing diverse welfare regimes as well as distinct policy reactio...

This study examines the idea that attitudes toward marriage are liberalizing in the US in the face of federal recognition of same-sex marriage legislation by examining attitudes toward conventional marriage ideals, same-sex marriage, and polyamorous marriage. It draws on a sample of liberal arts college students (n = 330) in the southeastern United...

The International Network on Leave Policies and Research has been producing an annual review of leave policies and related research since 2005. The review covers Maternity, Paternity and Parental leaves; leave to care for sick children and other employment-related measures to support working parents; and early childhood education and care policy. T...

Objective This study examines whether parental leave‐taking affects perceptions of workers as good parents, and whether this relationship varies between mothers and fathers. Background Contemporary parenthood norms promote intensive parenting, but pressures to engage in intensive parenting are more pronounced for mothers than fathers. Paid parenta...

Americans do not always fully utilize available parental leave policies due (in part) to fear of a commitment penalty – where taking leave (or taking longer periods of leave) lowers perceptions of job commitment. Using a survey experiment (N = 1713) to identify whether organizational leave policies affect perceived job commitment, we find that leav...

A relatively high proportion of U.S. workers started working from home during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. There has been extensive tracking of employment trends, but it is less clear what kind of impact working from home during the pandemic has had on job experiences. The authors use data from the October 2020 Pew Research Center America...

The International Network on Leave Policies and Research has been producing an annual review of leave policies and related research since 2005. The review covers Maternity, Paternity and Parental leaves; leave to care for sick children and other employment-related measures to support working parents; and early childhood education and care policy. T...

Previous research shows that marriage and family support are associated with less loneliness, but evidence is largely from developed countries in the West. We focus on the association between country-level collectivism and loneliness, and whether collectivism moderates the well-known effects of marriage and family on loneliness. Our analysis of dat...

Background Over the last 40 years, there has been a cultural shift in attitudes toward same-sex marriage in the USA. While there has been a great deal of focus on attitudes toward same-sex marriage, there is less research on attitudes toward LGBT discrimination and legal protections against discrimination, especially post-Obergefell.Methods This st...

Many scholars have expressed fears that the 2019 coronavirus pandemic may exacerbate gender inequalities. Indeed, studies have suggested that women, and mothers in particular, have been particularly affected by reducing their participation in the paid labor market to meet increased caregiving needs. What is less clear is whether the pandemic has al...

The International Network on Leave Policies and Research has been producing an annual review of leave policies and related research since 2005. The review covers Maternity, Paternity and Parental leaves; leave to care for sick children and other employment-related measures to support working parents; and early childhood education and care policy. T...

Through Article 750 of the Japanese Civil Code, Japan is the only developed country to require that a married couple must choose either the husband’s or the wife’s surname upon marriage. We examine how traditional gender ideology and preference for the three-generation family household are associated with the level of support for conjugal surname s...

Due to the lack of a federal paid parental leave policy in the United States, access to leave for most US workers is dependent on whether their employer offers paid leave. Our research explores employer-based access to parental leave among Fortune 500 companies. We develop a classification of leave policies based on how policies differ for mothers...

While there is a wealth of research on gender ideology, most research focuses on attitudes toward women and women’s roles. This study aims to address the gap in our understanding of attitudes toward working fathers. Using the 2016 General Social Survey (GSS), we find more negative attitudes toward work-oriented fathers than working mothers. Results...

Guided by equity theory, we examine how hours of housework by spouse, perceived fairness of housework division, and joint decision-making predict marital quality in Japan. Our analysis of data from the Survey of Midlife Development in Japan (MIDJA) shows that husbands who say their wives perform more hours of housework than themselves report higher...

Reviewer: Sarah Cote Hampson, University of Washington Tacoma The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) remains the only piece of federal legislation guaranteeing parents in the United States the right to take up to 12 weeks off from work to care for newborn or newly adopted children. The FMLA is frequently the subject of criticism across the world a...

Historically, traditional wedding customs reflected marital values and gender power dynamics. Though preference for egalitarian partnerships and marriages is growing, patriarchal and heteronormative wedding traditions remain popular. This study aims to understand the dissonance between marriage values and wedding traditions by comparing college stu...

This study examines the relationship between gender ideology at the individual level, gender equality at the country level, and women and men’s experiences of work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW). We use data from the 2012 International Social Survey Programme as well as the 2011 to 2015 Human Development Repo...

Drawing on interviews with 42 parents of preschoolers in Sweden and the UK, we examine how parents display good parenthood in two family policy contexts. In the UK, mothers take longer leave, work part time and limit daycare to demonstrate good motherhood, while fathers continue to work long hours, thereby reinforcing a gendered division of labour....

Introduction The United States (US) stands out as the only country highlighted in this book, and one among very few countries in the world, that does not offer a statutory entitlement to paid Maternity Leave (ILO, 2014). Such leave as exists to care for newborn or recently adopted children is most commonly labelled ‘Family Leave’, and covers caring...

This volume brings together contributors from 18 countries to provide international perspectives on the politics of parental leave policies in different parts of the world. Initially looking in depth at the politics of care leave policies across Europe, the US, Latin America and Asia, the book moves on to consider a variety of key issues in depth,...

We examine the effects of self-construal and social support in friendships on loneliness using data from a random sample of residents in Tokyo, Japan. We find that the relationship between interdependent and independent self-construal is not orthogonal, as found by studies in the West, but moderately positive. Net of independence, interdependence s...

Sweden has been long known for its early introduction of parental leave in the 1970s and the introduction of the first nontransferable “daddy month” in 1995 while the United Kingdom (UK) lagged behind with policies that reflected a strong male breadwinner model until the recent introduction of Additional Paternity Leave, which extended paternity le...

In 2011, the UK passed the Additional Paternity Leave (APL) policy, but less than 1% of eligible fathers took APL in its first year. This study investigates reasons for nonuse of APL. We find four main reasons: financial costs, gendered expectations, perceived workplace resistance, and policy restrictions. First, most fathers emphasized the role of...

Objective We examine the effects of filial norms and co‐residence as well as patterns of social exchange on support that adult children give to their parents and in‐laws in Japan. Methods We estimate ordered logit models with data from the Japanese General Social Survey. Results Children who receive money from their parents are more likely than t...

Previous research in industrialized countries finds that attitudes toward gender equality are affected by family-related transitions as young adults with egalitarian attitudes based on growing equality between the sexes in the public sphere of education and work encounter a much less equal situation in the private sphere of the family. Sweden, howe...

Fathers are increasingly becoming part of the conversation on work-family balance (O’Brien, 2013). The idea of working fathers as involved fathers who seek to adjust their work lives in order to have more family time is also becoming more common (Kaufman, 2013; Ranson, 2012; Wada et al., 2015). The importance of fathers’ involvement starts early as...

Previous studies have documented an increasing number of women entering into the paid work force, yet little research has examined the gendered meanings of work for men and women. Using a sample of 1986 Swedes from the 2009 Young Adult Panel Study, this paper investigates the effects of gender role attitudes on job attribute preferences in order to...

Using data from the 2006 Japanese General Social Survey, we examine the association between gender role attitudes, spousal "troubles talk,'' and marital satisfaction. We find that, in line with prior research, belief in gender egalitarianism is associated with higher marital satisfaction for men, whereas it is negatively associated with women's mar...

As recent trends show a slowing down in married mothers’ labor force participation and continuing debate over the importance of maternal care, we explore married men’s ideologies and reality regarding their wives’ employment. Using in-depth interviews with 50 married men, we develop a typology of men’s ideal and reality: traditional (stay-at-home w...

This study focuses on Swedish couples' work adjustments following the transition to parenthood. Specifically, we ask whether couples' gender role attitudes influence whether they make adjustments to their work situations after the end of the parental leave. Using couple data from the Young Adult Panel Study, we find that both partners are more like...

This paper investigated Swedish and US fathers’ experiences of work-family conflict, possible solutions, and actual changes to their work situation in relation to becoming a parent. The Swedish data were drawn from interviews completed in 2008 with 16 fathers with a child born in 2005 or 2006. The US data came from interviews conducted between 2005...

“Look! There in the playground – with the stroller and diaper bag! It's Superdad! Yes, it's Superdad–the most involved fathers in American history. And with this careful, compassionate and also critical group portrait, Gayle Kaufman has finally told their story. If you think men aren't changing–or if you think they somehow get neutered if they are...

This study examines workplace culture and fertility plans and transitions in Sweden. This study goes beyond previous research in examining the effect of particular job characteristics as well as the influence of a partner's job characteristics on women's and men's birth plans and transitions. We use data from the 1999 and 2003 Swedish Young Adult P...

Both Britain and the USA are described as market-oriented or 'liberal' welfare regimes. However, there are important variations within these two countries: although both have high rates of maternal employment, part-time work is much more common in the UK than in the USA, where dual-earner (full-time) couples are the norm. Part-time employment can h...

This study examines fathers’ use of family leave in Britain and the US. Using data from interviews with 83 working fathers in Britain and the United States, we find that almost all fathers take some leave, but British fathers take more leave on average while American fathers demonstrate a wider range of leave time. Much of this has to do with the n...

This study examines the effects of marital status and pro-marriage attitudes on happiness in Japan and the United States. We draw on theoretical constructions of happiness that frame happiness in terms of "personal achievement" for Americans versus a "realization of social harmony" for Japanese. Data come from the United States General Social Surve...

Trends in divorce and nonmarital childbearing suggest that the marriage market is increasingly filled with people who have been married and/or have children. This study examines the effect of personal attitudes on entrance into a union with a partner who has been previously married or has children. Using data from two waves of the National Survey o...

This study examines whether Asian American grandparents who reside with grandchildren take on responsibility for most of the basic needs of their grandchildren. We use data from the 2000 U.S. Census, which asked about grandparent responsibility for the first time. Younger grandparents, grandparents without disabilities, and grandmothers are more li...

Building on research showing that the incidence of late or nontraditional entry into higher education is influenced by both individuals’ needs and resources, we examine possible gender differences in its pattern. Our event history analysis using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data shows the importance of employment- and family-related fa...

This study examines how important men and women feel marriage is for men and for women. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, we find that both men and women feel that men need to be married more than women do. Women are more likely than men to think that both men and women can have satisfying lives without marriage, but t...

Marriage markets have become increasingly filled with those who already have children, which may discourage marriage. Research has generally failed to assess the role of prospective stepchildren in new union formation, particularly from the point of view of the men who might become their stepfathers. Using data from the National Survey of Families...

In the 1950s, when unmarried men and women became parents, the double standard stigmatized women more than men. With the rise in egalitarianism and approval of sex outside of marriage, however, attitudes may have changed so that people view unmarried parent-hood by men and women similarly or even stigmatize men. This paper contributes to studies of...

In this study, the authors examine the effect of gender ideology on marital happiness in later life. Studies of marital satisfaction in later life have tended to neglect such attitudes, although they have received increasing attention in the literature on younger marriages. The authors use data from married individuals who range in age from 51 to 9...

Objective. With the growing number of older students attending college, one major issue concerning these nontraditional students is their overall low completion rates. We examine factors affecting nontraditional students' degree completion. Methods. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we examine the effects of student charact...

Work and family issues are becoming increasingly important for both women and men. This study examines college students' plans and attitudes concerning work and family, gender differences in attitudes and expectations, and the effect of gender role attitudes on future expectations. Findings indicate that a majority of men and women expect to marry,...

We examine 2,400 personal ads from male advertisers collected from the Internet, focusing on age preference by race and sexual orientation. We look at whether advertisers display any age preference in personal ads and whether the preference varies by race and sexual orientation. We find that gay men are more likely than straight men to state an age...

The authors examine 2,400 personal ads from male advertisers collected from the Internet, focusing on issues of race and sexual orientation. They look at advertisers' desire for a partner of a particular race and the effect of their race and sexual orientation on their choices. The data indicate that Black, Hispanic, and Asian men are more likely t...

This study examines multiple dimensions of age identity, including how old people feel, how old people want to be, how old people hope to live to, and how old is old. We pay particular attention to the influence of the grandparent role and the timing of the transition to grandparenthood. We use data from a Midwestern sample of 666 elderly Americans...

Using data from 666 Midwesterners, we reexamine the issue of age identity. We consider five dimensions of age identity—subjective age, others' view of one's age, desired age, desired longevity, and perceived old age. We find that people believe that others think they are the age they feel rather than their actual age. Findings also suggest that “ol...

Using data from 666 Midwesterners, we reexamine the issue of age identity. We consider five dimensions of age identity—subjective age, others' view of one's age, desired age, desired longevity, and perceived old age. We find that people believe that others think they are the age they feel rather than their actual age. Findings also suggest that “ol...

While many elderly whites in the US live in nuclear families, elderly minorities are more likely to live in extended families. The prevalence of extended families among elderly minorities is often explained in terms of cultural characteristics of ethnic minorities. Using the 1990 US census, we examine family living arrangements and headship among e...

While the effect of parenthood on women's work has been well documented, little attention has been given to the potentially important link between work and parenthood for men. Two competing models of fatherhood suggest opposite effects of having children on work activities. The “good-provider” model predicts that fathers will work more than nonfath...

The effect of gender role attitudes on family formation and dissolution is analyzed using data from the 1987/1988 and 1992/1994 waves of the National Survey of Families and House-holds. Results indicate that egalitarian women are less likely to intend to have a child and actually to have a child than traditional women. Unlike women, egalitarian men...

This study examines the portrayal of men infamily roles, as fathers and husbands, on televisioncommercials. A content analysis of commercials airedduring football, daytime, and prime time is carried out. The sample size of characters is 944, mostof whom are middle-class, non-Hispanic whites. Men withchildren but no spouse are more likely to be show...

Most studies on cohabitation have focused on opposite-sex partners. This study seeks to explore the use of census data in examining same-sex cohabitation and to examine same-sex cohabitation in comparative terms. We use the 1990 US census 5% sample from the New York metropolitan area to focus on unmarried partners. The descriptive socio-economic pr...

Parents and children are connected throughout their lives. Each generation experiences life course transitions, and these, in turn, influence the lives of the other generation. Using data from the 1987-1988 and 1992-1994 waves of the National Survey of Families and Households, we examine how life course transitions experienced by each generation af...

Sterilisation has been increasing in the United States in recent decades. Using the National Survey of Families and Households, this paper examines sterilisation among married couples using event history techniques, viewing husband and wife sterilisation as competing risks. Wives are more likely to experience sterilisation and at shorter durations...

In recent family literature, men are often characterized as deadbeat dads, with a focus on their lack of involvement, mainly financial but physical and emotional as well. At the same time, there has been little attention paid to how men feel about being parents. This paper examines men''s attitudes toward parenthood using data from the National Sur...

Examined the effects of ethnicity, generational status, duration in the US, language usage, and social capital on high school completion. Recent immigrants (those in the US 5 yrs or less), long-term immigrants (those in the US 6 or more yrs), native-born persons with at least 1 foreign-born parent (2nd generation), and native-born persons of native...

Not much is known about the sexual attitudes of Chinese teenagers. In this article we endeavor to address this void by examining the sexual attitudes of Chinese teenagers with survey data collected in Sichuan Province in 1988. Our analysis has two goals: first, to describe aggregate attitudes toward premarital sexual practices; and second, to ident...