Sustainability@Leave
CA21150

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STSMs

↳ What is a STSM Grant?

Short-term scientific missions (STSM) are institutional visits that allow COST Action members to spend a limited period of time at an institution within another COST country, International Partner Country (IPC) or International Organisation to foster collaboration and to perform empirical research.

The aim of STSM is to provide researchers with access to new research or new techniques relevant to CA21150 that may not be available in their own institution. Another aim is to facilitate networking between participants across CA21150 in pursuit of its Objectives.

By this means STSM can accelerate the development of CA21150 research, knowledge exchange and collaboration across COST countries and beyond, as well as being an important component in the individual’s personal development.

↳ Current Calls

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↳ Past Calls

Grants STSMs Virtual Mobility
Past Calls
Call for STSM and Virtual Mobility Grants, 2nd Call
We are pleased to announce a second call for the STSM and Virtual Mobility Grants. The call is open for application from 15 May...
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Grants STSMs Virtual Mobility
Grants Past Calls
Call for Grants to support collaboration for publications (STSM | VMG)
The CA21150 ‘Paid Parental Leave Policies & Social Sustainability’ aims to promote and disseminate research and knowledge on the importance of paid parental leave (PPL) for...
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Grants STSMs
Past Calls
3rd Call for STSM Grant Applications
A new Call for STSM Grants has been published. The Grants can start after 1 April 2024 and must be completed by 31 August 2024...
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Grants STSMs
Past Calls
Call for STSM Grant Applications
A new call for STSMs has been published.The STSMs can start after 1 April 2024 and must be completed by 31 August 2024 (with...
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↳ Grants by Years

  • Seyithan Demirdağ (Turkey)
    Host institution: University Children’s Hospital, Skopje (North Macedonia)
    Title: Investigating the effects of female high school teachers’ maternity leave on students: A cross-national comparison between North Macedonia and Turkey
    Summary: The purpose of this visit is to work on the research project titled “Investigating the Effects of Female High School Teachers’ Maternity Leave on Students: A Cross-National Comparison Between North Macedonia and Türkiye.” This visit will primarily focus on finalizing the research protocol, methodology, and data collection instruments before data collection in December 2025.
  • Maximilian Reichert (Netherlands)
    Host institution: University of Vienna (Austria)
    Title: The effect of parental leaves on heterogeneity of employment and earning trajectories in the Netherlands and Austria
    Summary: We aim to examine how trajectories of earnings and employment intensity develop around the time of birth for both parents and in Netherlands and Austria using register data. The dimensions we aim to cover for both parents around birth are employment intensity (hours per month, both parents), wages (both parents), maternal wage-share, and leave usage (hours per month). The ultimate aim of the research is to disentangle within country heterogeneities in parental employment post birth and how policy coverage and uptake (leave) influence these heterogeneities.
  • Aleksandra Dragin (Serbia)
    Host institution: University of Malaga (Spain)
    Title: Fertility in flux: Childbearing Intentions and Behaviour in the South European countries in the context of climate change
    Summary: The aim of this STSM is to contribute to methodological innovation in fertility and parental leave research by developing a survey instrument that examines how climate change awareness influences childbearing intentions among young adults in Southern Europe. This research addresses a growing need to understand how environmental concerns shape reproductive decision-making, inspired by recent findings from Nordic countries where such links are already emerging.
  • Danijela Zorchec (North Macedonia)
    Host institution: Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb (Croatia)
    Title: Expanding questionnaire distribution on parental leave and workforce challenges of parents of children with autism in Croatia
    Summary: Building on the development of the questionnaire “Navigating Parental Leave and the Return to Work for Parents of Children with Autism”, already distributed in North Macedonia and Serbia, the primary goal of this STSM and the upcoming visit to the University of Zagreb will be to expand the questionnaire distribute the instrument within Croatia too. The focus will be on gathering comprehensive data about the experiences, challenges and support needs of Croatian parents of children with autism as they transition from parental leave back into employment. The collected data will be compared with already collected and analyzed data in North Macedonia and Serbia.
  • Tatjana Zorcec (North Macedonia)
    Host institution: Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade (Serbia)
    Title: Fine-Tuning and Finalisation of a Research Article on Paid Parental Leave Policies in
    the Former Yugoslav Countries
    Summary: The focus of this Short-Term Scientific Mission is the fine-tuning and completion of a research article on paid parental leave policies in the former Yugoslav countries. While the initial draft of the article has already been developed, the objective of this STSM is to refine, finalize and prepare it for submission to a high-impact international peer-reviewed journal.
  • Dejana Pavlovic (Serbia)
    Host institution: University Children’s Hospital, Skopje (North Macedonia)
    Title: An Analysis of paid parental leave policies in former Yugoslav countries
    Summary: The aim of the Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) is to contribute a review paper “An Analysis of Paid Parental Leave Policies in the Former Yugoslav Countries”, specifically a literature review delving into all such research that has thus been conducted based on Balkan studies and papers in the field of the paid-parental leave (CA21150).
  • Seyithan Demirdağ (Turkey)
    Host institution: University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
    Title: A comparative study of female teachers’ perceptions of maternity leave rights in Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Summary: The goal of the STSM is to work on the research entitled “A Comparative Study of Female Teachers’ Perceptions of Maternity Leave Rights in Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina”. As part of this visit, the researchers will implement a pilot study involving a semi-structured interview form with a minimum of three female teachers currently on parental leave. The purpose of this pilot is to evaluate the clarity, cultural relevance, and practical feasibility of the interview questions. This preliminary investigation is expected to reveal potential ambiguities or limitations within the instrument, ensure its resonance with the lived experiences of the target demographic, and support the refinement of the interview protocol for broader application across both national settings. In doing so, the pilot study will contribute to enhancing the overall validity and reliability of the comparative research by grounding it in contextually informed empirical evidence and methodological precision. The main objective of this collaboration is to align with the objectives and deliverables outlined in the Action’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The researchers hope that their collaboration will contribute to achieving these objectives and delivering the expected outcomes of the research project.
  • Danijela Zorchec (North Macedonia)
    Host institution: Life Activities Advancement Institute (Serbia)
    Title: Cross-country scaling questionnaire distribution on parental leave and workforce challenges for parents of children with autism
    Summary: Building on the development of the questionnaire “Navigating Parental Leave and the Return to Work for Parents of Children with Autism”, already distributed in North Macedonia and Serbia, the primary goal of this STSM and the upcoming visit to the University of Zagreb will be to expand the questionnaire distribute the instrument within Croatia too. The focus will be on gathering comprehensive data about the experiences, challenges and support needs of Croatian parents of children with autism as they transition from parental leave back into employment. The collected data will be compared with already collected and analyzed data in North Macedonia and Serbia.
  • Tatjana Zorcec (North Macedonia)
    Host institution: Life Activities Advancement Institute (Serbia)
    Title: Conducting a study on parents’ perceptions of parental leave policies in Serbia and North Macedonia
    Summary: The primary goal of this Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) is to conduct a study examining parents’ perceptions of parental leave policies in Serbia and North Macedonia. Together with the host we created a questionnaire which aims to collect comprehensive insights from parents living in Serbia and North Macedonia regarding their awareness, experiences, and perceptions of parental leave policies in their countries. We seek to understand how well these policies meet the needs of working parents, the challenges they face when accessing parental leave, and the level of support they receive from employers and the government. Additionally, the questionnaire explores the impact of parental leave on family wellbeing and workforce participation. By gathering this data, we hope to identify gaps and opportunities for improving parental leave policies to better support families, promote gender equality in caregiving, and enhance work-life balance. The results will contribute to evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders committed to strengthening family-friendly workplace practices in the region.
  • Alzbeta Bartova (Netherlands)
    Host institution: Stockholm University (Sweden)
    Title: Methodological challenges post-workshop report-writing
    Summary: The goal of the STSM is to produce a complete draft of a report on the workshop organized by the Sustainability@Leave EU COST-Action network Working Group 5 of Sustainable Paid Parental Leave Data. The workshop, “Methodological Challenges in Paid Parental Leave Research and Policy,” invites stakeholders who collect data that can be used to assess the development, use and outcomes of paid parental leave provisions. Most of the participants are from outside of academia, and the report that we develop will be distributed to these participants for use in their networks.
  • Armela Maxhelaku (Albania)
    Host institution: Stockholm University (Sweden)
    Title: Methodological challenges post-workshop report-writing
    Summary: The goal of the STSM is to produce a complete draft of a report on the workshop organized by the Sustainability@Leave EU COST-Action network Working Group 5 of Sustainable Paid Parental Leave Data. The workshop, “Methodological Challenges in Paid Parental Leave Research and Policy,” invites stakeholders who collect data that can be used to assess the development, use and outcomes of paid parental leave provisions. Most of the participants are from outside of academia, and the report that we develop will be distributed to these participants for use in their networks.
  • Cristina Castellanos-Serrano (Spain)
    Host institution: University of Iceland (Iceland)
    Title: Writing on economic consequences of PPL for children
    Summary: The goal is to progress in writing the economic section of the White Paper on “Sustainable PPL policies for children”, to work together with researchers from the hosting institution to further understand and analyze the international evidence, so we can provide an overview of main characteristics of paid parental leave which provides the best economic scenario for children, to guarantee their wellbeing. For that, we need time on site to co-operate, we have been collecting literature on the economic effects of paid parental leave on children’s well-being but we will use the SMTS period to write a summary of the findings that will be used as a base for the writing of the first draft of the section on the issue for the White Paper, which is one of the deliverables from WP3. Interestingly, in Iceland children´s poverty is one of the lowest in Europe (9,8% of children are AROPE in 2020) while Spain has one of the highest levels of children´s poverty (29.2% in 2024). The deliverable will be the first draft of the section on economic effects on children’s well-being as well as a summary of the literature on the issue.
 
  • Mare Ainsaar (Estonia)
    Host institution: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland
    Title: Literature review on well-being and parental leave
    Summary: The purpose of the visit was to agree on the data collection methodology for a book about links between well-being and parental leave and to start data collection. The first results were presented at the WG2 meeting on 26th August 2024 in Porto, Portugal. The results are expected to be published in two book chapters.
  • Ann-Zofie Duvander (Sweden)
    Host institution: University College London, UK
    Title: Preparation of chapters for the book project “Care, Leave Policies, and Social Sustainability throughout the Life Course”
    Summary: The purpose of this STSM is for the two WG1 co-leaders Ann-Zofie Duvander (Sweden) and Alison Koslowski (UK) and Andrea Doucet (Canada) to work together on the book proposal (WG1 deliverable). We discussed work in detail and came up with a time line and a plan for how the three editors would contribute. We also discussed publishers and steps to go forward with publishing. The expected results are a book publication and a scientific article after that. In addition we aim for an intensification of collaborations between colleagues at UCL and Stockholm/ MidSweden University
  • Jiřina Kocourková (Czechia)
    Host Country: UK
    Title: Paid parental leave policies from demographic perspective of social sustainability
    Summary: The purpose of this STSM was to  develop a demographic approach to the concept of social sustainability, a work towards WG1 deliverables (Theoretical understanding of PPL policies in the context of social sustainability).
  • Thordis Reimer (Germany)
    Host Country: ES
    Title: Literature review on the relationship between parental leave policy design and children’s health and development
    Summary: This STSM was intended to contribute to the work of WG3. This included in particular (1) the
    preparations within the framework of a co-operation for the creation of an international research
    project and (2) the processing of a part of the first report of WG3, both of which belong to the results
    of WG3. The literature review was also intended to identify gaps in the research in order to identify
    the need for further research and data to investigate the relationship between the organisation of
    parental leave and child development.
  • Zuzana Dancikova (UK)
    Host institution: Czech Academy of Sciences, Czechia
    Title: The Effects of the Divergent Paid Parental Leave Policies in Czechia and Slovakia after the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia – Lessons for Social Sustainability
    Summary: we have conducted a literature search on family policy in Czechia and Slovakia with a focus on social inclusion/exclusion in connection to the development of PPL (and more broadly family) policies between 1992 and 2022, and on the links between changes in policy and in attitudes to ideal childcare practice. We made progress towards a co-authored research paper focusing on a comparison of developments in leave and related childcare policy in Czechia and Slovakia after the dissolution in Czechoslovakia.
  • Danijela Zorchec (North Macedonia)
    Host institution: Children Without Limits, Serbia
    Title: Bridging the gap: navigating parental leave and the return to work for parents of children with autism
    Summary: The aim of this visit to the “Children without Limits” Center was to explore and address the challenges faced by parents of children with autism in Serbia and North Macedonia, as they transition from parental leave back to the workforce. A research protocol was established to systematically collect pertinent data from parents of children with autism in both countries and a small survey of six parents from Serbia and North Macedonia. Each participant shared detailed insights into their struggles balancing work responsibilities and caregiving, as well as recommendations for improving the parental leave system and workplace support for parents of children with special needs.
  • Tatjana Zorcec (North Macedonia)
    Host institution: Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia
    Title: Research on parenting leave policies in Serbia and North Macedonia
    Summary: The purpose for this STSM was too investigate the positive legal regulations concerning parenting leave policies in Serbia and North Macedonia, focusing on disparities in leave entitlements and the underlying political dynamics shaping these differences. The research shows that for the both countries, bonding with the child is stated as the greatest advantage of using parental leave. The achievements and planned follow-up activities aim to enhance academic scholarship, inform policy development, and raise social awareness about maternity and parental support laws in Serbia and North Macedonia.
  • Tatjana Zorcec (North Macedonia)
    Host Institution: Institute for Research and Development, Belgrade, Serbia
    Title: Parents’ perception in Serbia and North Macedonia on parental leave policies in their country of residence
    Summary: The purpose was to investigate the parents’ perception in Serbia and North Macedonia on parental leave policies and to create research protocol, methods, and questionnaire for data collection. A research protocol to collect relevant data from parents in both countries has been developed that can be implemented across multiple countries, aiming to provide a more comprehensive understanding of parental leave policies. This STSM represented a valuable opportunity for future collaboration between our organizations, with the potential to conduct joint research, publish scientific papers, and participate in future collaborative projects.
  • Boris Krešić (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
    Host institution: University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
    Title: Compilation and analysis of literature on parental leave in the Republic of Slovenia
    Summary: A visit to the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana included the access to databases and judgments regarding parental leave in the Republic of Slovenia. This allowed for a) the analysis of legal regulations regarding the possibility and conditions of using parental leave as well as their financing and b) the analysis of legal texts aimed at finding possible provisions that are discriminatory based on gender, age, employment, etc. The research was also focused on the inequalities in terms of using the right to parental leave.
    During my research stay, I was able to expand the knowledge about the importance of paid parental leave in the Republic of Slovenia and find the data on the realization of parental leave. It helped me lay the foundation for future research on parental leave in BiH and set new perspectives on social sustainability of my country. I established cooperation with the professors at the Faculty of Law regarding future research, not only for the issue of parental leave but also the right to maternity and paternity leave.
    I would like to express my immense gratitude to Ms. Lea Kremič and Prof. dr. Grega Strban for their kind welcome and support. The research will advance and expand the knowledge about the importance of paid parental leave for the social sustainability of the BiH society but also help in identifying and filling the gaps in the legal system of BiH regarding the realization of parental leave. The paper titled „Ravnoteža radnoga i privatnoga života roditelja i staratelja i njena primjena u Republici Sloveniji” (Balance between work and private life of parents and guardians and its application in the Republic of Slovenia) is to be published in the Conference Proceedings from the international scientific conference “Days of Family Law”, organized by the Faculty of Law, Džemal Bijedić University, Mostar 
  • Haris Gekić (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
    Host institution: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
    Title: The editing of information and data from Leave-network Annual Review in the online mapping tool
  • Ruveyde Aydin (Turkey)
    Host institution: Vienna University, Austria
    Title: Experiences of mothers who started work after parental leave: a phenomenological study
    Summary: The aim of this STSM was to write a research paper that examines the experiences of mothers who work full-time and do not
    have the opportunity to take unpaid leave during the postnatal period in Türkiye. During the STSM we finalized the first draft of the manuscript and we plan to submit the final draft to an academic journal in December 2024.
  • Oriola Hamzallari (Albania)
    Host institution: University of Hamburg, Germany
    Title: Child-Centered Parental Leave: Adapting to Family Dynamics and Diversity
    Summary: The STSM focused on two main deliverables of the WG3 subgroup, Children Wellbeing and Parental Leave. The first objective was to conduct a systematic review on child-centered parental leave, considering family dynamics and diversity. The second objective was to contribute to the white paper on parental leave and children well-being. 
 
  • Rose Marie Azzopardi (Malta)
    Host institution: University of Nicosia, Cyprus
    Title: Parental leave take-up by Gender
    Summary: The main aim of the research is to provide for a comparison on the attitude of parents towards the recent introduction of paid parental leave in both Malta and Cyprus.  The first phase of the research was to gather information regarding legislation and the perspectives of the main stakeholders.  The second phase will involve a questionnaire with the users of parental leave, the parents. It is my intention to publish this research in 2024.  The collaboration with my colleague from the University of Nicosia will continue to finalize this project.
  • Seyithan Demirdağ (Turkey)
    Host Institution: University Children’s Hospital, North Macedonia
    Title: Examining the effect of faculty members’ use of maternity leave on students: A comparison between North Macedonia and Turkey
  • Jasmina Berbić (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
    Host Institution: University of Niš, Serbia
    Title: Research on maternity and paternity leave in the Republic of Serbia and its comparison to legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Summary: My research at the Faculty of Law of the University of Nis was conducted in two stages. Primarily, using the faculty library, I collected the necessary literature in the field that regulates parental rights in the employment relationship, where the library staff was of particular help to me. I dedicated the second part of the research to the analysis of relevant court decisions in labor disputes on the issue of parental rights, where a number of discriminatory situations in which women find themselves were determined through various cases, such as not hiring a pregnant woman who is the most competent candidate or not extending a contract that was concluded for a certain period.
    In the following period, the collected material will be used to write a scientific article with professor Boris Krešić, who analyzed the institute of parental leave in the Republic of Croatia, in which way we could make a comparative analysis of the regulations and the situation regarding parental rights in the Balkans in relation to the EU.
  • Dimitrina Ivanova (UK)
    Host Institution: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
    Title: A review of changes in parental leave terminology
    Summary: The research visit aimed to revise paid parental leave terminology by surveying its development over recent decades. This work laid the foundation for future investigations into the reasons for and effects of terminology changes, contributing to a comprehensive revision of existing PPL terminology. 
    The primary aim was to examine the existing native-language PPL terminology and document its evolution. It also tracked associated shifts in parental leave entitlements, contextualising terminological change and persistence.
    We recorded native language terms and associated leave entitlements, including generosity, eligibility rules, and flexibility. We produced a detailed log tracking changes in these dimensions by country and year.
    The STSM facilitated collaboration and the expansion of the review and dataset, enabling comprehensive contextualization of terminology across countries and time. This enhanced dataset contributes to further analysis of how and when terminology changes in relation to shifts in leave rights and entitlement structure. The dataset contributed to a working group report, providing a comprehensive investigation of parental leave terminology in 30 European countries over the last decade. The report contextualizes native-language terminology with associated reforms in entitlements and connects it to established international leave terminology.
  • Alison Koslowski (UK)
    Host Institution: Mid Sweden University, Sweden
    Title: Towards the theoretical understanding of PPL policies in the context of social sustainability
  • Boris Krešić (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
    Host institution: University of Rijeka, Croatia
    Title: Research as part of the COST Action “Parental Leave Policies and Social Sustainability” at the University of Rijeka
    Summary: The first aspect includes the analysis of the Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU, after which a comparative analysis will be conducted of the data collected as well as the analysis of positive regulations in the field of parental support in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This analysis shall provide the material for a research article, which is to be published in one of the journals in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 
  • Thordis Reimer (Germany)
    Host institution: University College London, UK
    Title: How to think of the relationship between paid parental leave policies and the social sustainability of societies?
    Summary: In a first step, a literature review was conducted to identify different definitions of social sustainability (please see list of literature below). The existing definitions were compiled. In a Zoom meeting with the WG1 leaders, these definitions and the research gap regarding the connection between family policies and social sustainability were presented and discussed.In a next step, a draft for the structure of a paper on parental leave policies as a matter of social sustainable societies was developed. This included work on a chapter which establishes the link between parental leave policies and social sustainability and provides its own definition of social sustainability in the context of work & family policies. Building on the publications of the International Network of Leave Policies & Research, key characteristics of parental leave policies that are aligned to the UN Sustainable development Goals were identified and a first draft of a definition of social sustainability in the context of parental leave was developed.
  • Tatjana Zorcec (North Macedonia)
    Host institution: University of Zagreb, Croatia
    Title: Research on parenting leave policies in Croatia and North Macedonia
    Summary: The main goal of this STSM is to explore the positive legal regulations on parenting leave policies in Croatia and North Macedonia, with a particular focus on inequalities in leave entitlements and the politics behind divergent developments in the two countries.

    From the analysis of these two countries, it can be noted that each country has a different solution regarding the duration of the absences, but also in the division of the period of leave between parents.
    The host and the visitor discussed the future step regarding this finding. We decided to explore the possibilities to write an article and publish it in the future.