Page 6 - IDEA Studie 09 2020 Nechtene plody prorodinnych politik

NECHTĚNÉ PLODY PRORODINNÝCH POLITIK IDEA 2020 • The reform that came into force on 1st January 2008 partially reverted the previous changes. It did so by introducing the possibility of claiming the full parental allowance benefit over a period of less than four years. This reform had the opposite effect on mothers of three- to five-year-olds than the reform of 1995 had had, but to a lesser extent, primarily because not every mother was eligible for this shorter period of support. Insufficient availability of institutional childcare for children under four years of age was also an apparent limiting factor. • Our findings highlight how important it is to take a broader view when considering family leave policies. Specifically, it is crucial to monitor the impact policy measures have not only on the duration of parental allowance claims, but also on the total time during which parents of young children (primarily mothers) are absent from the labour market. In particular, it is important to observe how much of the overall effect on women's employment can be explained by intentional changes in the length of paid parental leave and how much of it is caused by subsequent involuntary unemployment. • Reforms to family leave policies that lead to parents being absent from the labour market for longer period should be accompanied by an effective job protection guarantee. Further measures are also needed that would: (i) enable parents to maintain their human capital, i.e. their professional knowledge and skills and (ii) ease their return to work. The first of these could be achieved for example through the provision of more affordable, high quality training and requalification courses and further education. The second can be achieved through support for flexible working hours and high quality, local, affordable institutional care for children of pre-school age, which accept new children during the school year, not only in September. 4