Paternity Leave Remains an Exception: Why Baby Dolls Now Adorn Monuments
According to the Chamber of Labor, in 2021 only 17 percent of those on parental leave were male – in 2017 it was at least 21 percent. The decline is cause for concern, says men's work expert Erich Lehner. The main resistance comes from the working world: "There, men are still seen as a stable element, while women are seen as a variable that comes and goes."
Lack of Flexible Parental Leave Models
A cultural shift is necessary, say both Lehner and Elisabeth Sechser, founder of CaringEconomy.Jetzt. Although there are progressive companies, inflexible working time models still dominate the mainstream. Many men would like to take on more responsibility but can hardly implement it professionally.
Art Campaign as a Symbol for Alternative Masculinity
The "Caring Men" campaign, originally from the UK, features statues with baby dolls in public spaces – as a vision of a different image of men. In Salzburg, for example, the dolls are allowed to remain until Father's Day. Sechser: "Ideally, they could stay for a year – with official permission."
The aim of the campaign is to highlight new forms of masculinity: away from hierarchy and dominance, towards empathy and caregiving responsibility – so-called "Caring Masculinities." Studies show: In egalitarian families, the risk of violence for children is the lowest.
Paternity Leave: Government Announces Working Group
The federal government has announced in the coalition program that it will strengthen fathers' participation during the parental leave phase. An interministerial working group is set to begin its work at the start of 2026. The goal is to present concrete proposals by the end of the year.
Lehner advocates for a "use it or lose it" model: Only if both parents take parental leave equally will the full time be granted. "This is the lever for real change," says the expert.
Unequal Distribution with Long-term Consequences for Parents
Studies show that an active father role benefits not only the child but also the father himself – in the form of better health and higher life satisfaction. For mothers, however, a lack of distribution often means a significant income loss: According to the Momentum Institute, women earn on average 960,000 euros less than men over their working lives – solely due to the unequal distribution of care work.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.