Requests for paternity leave increased in Spain during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, study finds

Combine business with pleasure. The number of men taking paternity leave in Spain increased during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to a study published Thursday October 3. This suggests that being able to watch the matches weighed in their decision.

According to a working document from the Barcelona School of Economics, using data from Spanish social security, “a daily surplus of more than 1,000 men on paternity leave” was recorded during this World Cup, organized from November 20 to December 18, 2022 in Qatar.

During this period, however, there was no comparable increase in requests for maternity leave, specifies this study, entitled “Fathers’ time use during paternity leave: childcare or leisure?”.

“We interpret these results as direct evidence that fathers (at least some of them) took advantage of their leave periods for activities that are not related to childcare”assures this document, written by three economists.

In Spain, fathers and mothers alike have been entitled to 16 weeks of paid leave since 2021 when their child is born. This leave can be taken all at once, or in several installments during the first 12 months of the child’s life.