Working Group 3 (WG3) of Sustainability@Leave has actively developed interdisciplinary research collaboration on paid parental leave, children and family well-being.
Starting with discussions at the WG3 meeting in Hamburg and a dedicated research meeting at the University of Barcelona in May 2024, members developed ideas for a comparative interdisciplinary project bringing the child’s perspective more strongly into research on paid parental leave. A first research concept was prepared around paid leave and the First 1000 Days of children, bringing together researchers from different disciplines and welfare-state contexts.
The collaboration also stimulated engagement with relevant European funding opportunities and the development of several international research consortia. At least three proposals progressed to the second stage, and one was ultimately successful: TRADE-OFFS – Work–Family Trade-Offs in Context: Labor Market Conditions, Gender Differences in Parental Career Trajectories and Family Well-Being, coordinated by the Institute for Social Research (ISF), Norway. Researchers participating in Sustainability@Leave are involved in the project, and the COST Action is explicitly acknowledged as a basis and reference for its development. Starting in 2027, TRADE-OFFS will include a dedicated work package on family well-being that incorporates the child’s perspective.
In parallel, WG3 initiated contacts with public authorities and child-focused stakeholders for a future project under the CERV programme, including work around children’s perspectives and the First 1000 Days framework. A project concept, potential academic leadership and initial stakeholder contacts are already in place for a future call.
These activities demonstrate how Sustainability@Leave has created a platform for new interdisciplinary and cross-national research collaboration on paid parental leave and children, extending the Action’s scientific network into future European research projects.