Brexit and the work-family conflict:a Scottish perspective

This paper examines the Scottish Government’s desire to maintain ties with EU law post-Brexit in the context of employment and equality law, particularly those laws which impact on work-family conflict. The paper critically examines whether there is, or could be, a distinctly Scottish perspective in the context of work-family rights post-Brexit. The paper frames the analysis by considering the potentially gendered implications of Brexit in this context. In doing so, it examines this issue from the perspective of traditional heterosexual dual-partnered working family models. It is argued that rights for working fathers will be most vulnerable post-Brexit, with related consequences for working mothers. Consequently, the implications of Brexit in this context are primarily viewed through the lens of working fathers. The paper then critically examines the Scottish Government’s position on EU employment and equality law in the post-Brexit context

Gender Differences at Work: International Variations in Occupational Segregation

Despite the prominence of discussions of gender segregation in explanations of labour market inequalities, there have been relatively few cross-national studies due to a lack of suitably detailed data. A recent ILO initiative obtained suitable data for cross-national analysis of 38 countries, with a much greater number of occupational categories than has usually been available. This paper reports findings from the analysis of these data. The problems and potential of using such data are discussed and a standardisation is introduced to control for the effects of the number of occupations in the segregation measure. There are important differences in the level of segregation in different countries. The highly segregated countries are to be found in Western Europe, and in particular Scandinavia. Several Arab countries also have high levels of segregation. An argument is made suggesting that the context and meaning of segregation patterns may be quite different from what might be inferred from single country studies.Census/Survey Data; Cross-National Trends; Employment; Employment Patterns; Gender Inequality; Methodology; Occupations; Social Division of Labour; Sociology; Work

Maternal and paternal postnatal depression and parental vocalisation behaviours in infancy: findings from UK-based birth cohort

Both maternal and paternal postnatal depression (PND) are associated with increased risk of less optimal offspring developmental outcomes. Early exposure to differences in maternal and paternal vocalisation behaviours that may be associated with maternal and paternal PND, may be important in this relationship. However, little research has captured vocalisation patterns at home without researchers present. This study sought to examine the associations between maternal and paternal PND and various aspects of parental vocalisation behaviours. Mothers (n=104) and fathers (n=34) of six-months old infants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Generation-2 (ALSPAC-G2) provided video footage of mother- and father-infant interactions filmed at home in an ecologically valid way using head-worn video cameras (head cams) without the need for researchers to be present, with 25 mother-infant and father-infant interactions coded on multiple aspects of parental and infant vocalisation behaviours using the micro-behavioural observational coding system. Parental depression symptoms were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and analysed as a continuous score. Frequencies and duration of vocalisation behaviours were similar in mothers and fathers, however, there was an indication that fathers demonstrated higher frequency and duration of commands, exclamations and ironic/sarcastic tone and criticisms compared to mothers, while mothers engaged in more teaching compared to fathers. Linear regression models indicated that maternal and paternal PND were not associated with the majority of vocalisation behaviours, however, there were some specific patterns observed mostly related to the emotional tone of the vocalisations. Higher levels of maternal PND were associated with lower frequency of speech in a neutral tone, frequency and duration of use of humour, and increased duration of speech in a positive tone. Higher levels of paternal PND were associated with higher mean duration of speech, infant-directed speech, higher frequency and duration of laughing, and increased duration of speech using questions and encouragement. These findings extend existing research by investigating the associations between maternal and paternal PND and a wide range of vocalisation behaviours captured and coded using innovative methods and in a more ecologically valid way than previous studies. Many of the associations between parental PND and vocalisations did not support hypotheses suggested by existing literature, which may reflect the changing nature of contemporary parenting practices in the context of PND, improved ecological validity or methodological limitations of the study, including the explorative nature and multiple statistical comparisons. However, if replicated, the pattern of findings could suggest that depression in parents can be associated with more emotionally sensitive behaviours, particularly in fathers (such as higher duration of positive tone, encouragement and infant-directed speech), but also those potentially indicating lower parenting confidence (such as higher duration of questions and reduced use of neutral tone)

Maternal Postnatal Depressive Symptoms and Offspring Emotional and Behavioral Development at Age 7 Years in a U.K. Birth Cohort: The Role of Paternal Involvement

There is considerable variability in developmental outcomes of children whose mothers experience depression. Few longitudinal studies have examined contributions of paternal involvement in the association between maternal postnatal depression (PND) and offspring development. We examined pathways from maternal PND at 8 weeks (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; total score) to offspring emotional and behavioral development at 7 years (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; total score) through behavioral, affective, and cognitive dimensions of paternal involvement in a U.K.-based birth cohort (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children; n = 3, 434). Analyses were adjusted for baseline confounders and paternal PND (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; total score) as an intermediate confounder. Maternal PND was strongly associated with offspring development, but this association was not mediated by the combination of all indirect pathways through various dimensions of paternal involvement. Only father–child conflict emerged as a risk factor for adverse offspring development and as a mediator in the association between maternal PND and offspring development (albeit the effect size was small). If found causal, interventions that reduce father–child conflict may reduce the risk of adverse development in offspring of mothers with PND

Maternal postnatal depression and offspring emotional and behavioural development at age 7 years in a UK-birth cohort: the role of paternal involvement:Maternal postnatal depressive symptoms and offspring development: role of paternal involvement

There is considerable variability in developmental outcomes of children whose mothers experience depression. Few longitudinal studies have examined contributions of paternal involvement in the association between maternal postnatal depression (PND) and offspring development. We examined pathways from maternal PND at 8 weeks (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; total score) to offspring emotional and behavioral development at 7 years (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; total score) through behavioral, affective, and cognitive dimensions of paternal involvement in a U.K.-based birth cohort (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children; n = 3, 434). Analyses were adjusted for baseline confounders and paternal PND (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; total score) as an intermediate confounder. Maternal PND was strongly associated with offspring development, but this association was not mediated by the combination of all indirect pathways through various dimensions of paternal involvement. Only father–child conflict emerged as a risk factor for adverse offspring development and as a mediator in the association between maternal PND and offspring development (albeit the effect size was small). If found causal, interventions that reduce father–child conflict may reduce the risk of adverse development in offspring of mothers with PND