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The study entitled ‘Women and men in Romania: Reconciling work and family life’, published by the National Institute of Statistics in 2006, indicates that only 17% of people entitled to parental leave in Romania took advantage of it. The reasons for the low take-up vary according to sex and level of education.
The study Women and men in Romania: Reconciling work and family life, published by the National Institute of Statistics (Institutul Naţional de Statistică, INS) in 2006, examines the gender dimension in terms of demography, health, education, employment and income.
Among other aspects, the data collected in the course of the study reveal the following negative trends in relation to demographic indicators in Romania:
Among the factors influencing these developments are career choice, work and working conditions, and the level of income. Of all the aspects specific to reconciling work and family life, the opportunity to raise and educate children is crucial. The issue is closely intertwined with working conditions, income level and, in a broader sense, with demographic trends.
The legislation in force, as well as national or sectoral collective agreements, stipulates that both women and men are entitled to parental leave. In 2005, among the total number of people who were entitled to exercise this right, 47% were men and 53% were women. However, only 17% of those entitled to parental leave actually took advantage of it, with varying proportions according to level of education. Some 32% of eligible higher education graduates availed of this leave, as did 20.8% of eligible workers who had completed secondary education and only 5.4% of eligible employees with a low level of education (see Figure).
A low income level and the fear of losing one’s job exert a strong influence on the take-up of parental leave. Of the total number of women entitled to this leave, 30.1% exercised their right, compared with just 3% of men.
People taking parental leave, by educational level, 2005 (% of those entitled)
Source: Women and men in Romania: Reconciling work and family life, National Institute of Statistics, Bucharest, 2006
People taking parental leave, by educational level, 2005 (% of those entitled)
Over 82% of those entitled to parental leave did not exercise their right for the following reasons:
Thus, failure to meet the social contribution requirements, which amount to a compulsory minimum contribution of 12 months, is the main reason for denial of access to parental leave. This situation is the case for 80% of people with a low education level and 46% of those with a secondary education, compared with the relatively smaller proportion of 15.6% of higher education graduates.
The following table outlines the reasons men and women gave for not taking parental leave. A much larger proportion of women (82.1%) than men (32.8%) cited failure to meet the minimum social contribution requirements. On the other hand, many more men (40.5%) than women (8.1%) reported that their partner took parental leave instead.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed to meet social contribution requirements | 54.9 | 32.8 | 82.1 |
| Partner took parental leave instead | 23.1 | 40.5 | 8.1 |
| Preferred to continue working | 7.2 | 9.5 | 4.4 |
| Fear of losing job or chances of career development | 3.1 | 3.9 | 2.2 |
| Other reasons | 11.6 | 13.3 | 9.5 |
Source: Women and men in Romania: Reconciling work and family life, National Institute of Statistics, Bucharest, 2006.
As a general conclusion, the data indicate a significant correlation between the level of education and the decision to take parental leave.
Married women remaining in the home and women with a low level of education have the most children, with mothers of over 40% of children born in 2005 coming under this category. In other words, women who are working outside the home – particularly in higher qualified jobs – are not having as many children. Overall, women represented 45% of total employment in Romania in 2005. As this constitutes a significant proportion of the female population, much more needs to be done to encourage the take-up of parental leave by both women and men in the future.
The survey is only available in Romanian and as a printed edition.
Luminita Chivu, Institute of National Economy, Romanian Academy