Gender Gap in Parental Leave Intentions: Evidence from 37 Countries

Despite global commitments and efforts, a gender-based division of paid and unpaid work persists. To identify how psychological factors, national policies, and the broader sociocultural context contribute to this inequality, we assessed parental-leave intentions in young adults (18–30 years old) planning to have children (N = 13,942; 8,880 identified as women; 5,062 identified as men) across 37 countries that varied in parental-leave policies and societal gender equality. In all countries, women intended to take longer leave than men. National parental-leave policies and women’s political representation partially explained cross-national variations in the gender gap. Gender gaps in leave intentions were paradoxically larger in countries with more gender-egalitarian parental-leave policies (i.e., longer leave available to both fathers and mothers). Interestingly, this cross-national variation in the gender gap was driven by cross-national variations in women’s (rather than men’s) leave intentions. Financially generous leave and gender-egalitarian policies (linked to men’s higher uptake in prior research) were not associated with leave intentions in men. Rather, men’s leave intentions were related to their individual gender attitudes. Leave intentions were inversely related to career ambitions. The potential for existing policies to foster gender equality in paid and unpaid work is discussed.Gender Gap in Parental Leave Intentions: Evidence from 37 CountriespublishedVersio

Gender Gap in Parental Leave Intentions: Evidence from 37 Countries

Despite global commitments and efforts, a gender-based division of paid and unpaid work persists. To identify how psychological factors, national policies, and the broader sociocultural context contribute to this inequality, we assessed parental-leave intentions in young adults (18–30 years old) planning to have children (N = 13,942; 8,880 identified as women; 5,062 identified as men) across 37 countries that varied in parental-leave policies and societal gender equality. In all countries, women intended to take longer leave than men. National parental-leave policies and women’s political representation partially explained cross-national variations in the gender gap. Gender gaps in leave intentions were paradoxically larger in countries with more gender-egalitarian parental-leave policies (i.e., longer leave available to both fathers and mothers). Interestingly, this cross-national variation in the gender gap was driven by cross-national variations in women’s (rather than men’s) leave intentions. Financially generous leave and gender-egalitarian policies (linked to men’s higher uptake in prior research) were not associated with leave intentions in men. Rather, men’s leave intentions were related to their individual gender attitudes. Leave intentions were inversely related to career ambitions. The potential for existing policies to foster gender equality in paid and unpaid work is discussed

Ulcerative lichen planus of lower lip – Case series

Lichen planus (LP) involving lips is a rare occurrence. It can occur isolated or with cutaneous or oral lesions. Clinical features include radiated streaks, lace-like papules, and erosions, usually confined to vermilion border. When isolated, it should be differentiated from cheilitis, discoid lupus erythematosus, and other ulcerative conditions. Herein, we report nine cases of LP involving lower lip, with persistent ulceration and crusting. Of the nine patients in our series, eight were females and one was male. Age varied from 25 to 44 years, and the average duration was 4 years. Cutaneous examination revealed diffuse involvement of the lower lip with ulceration, hemorrhagic crusting in eight and localized involvement in one. Biopsy was suggestive of LP with no dysplasia or malignancy. Treatment with topical corticosteroids, tacrolimus, sunscreens, and Hydroxy chloroquine has shown variable results with frequent relapses. Because lesions on the lips are highly susceptible to actinic changes and malignant transformation, these patients require regular and long-term follow-up

Cheilitis granulomatosa: Case series

Granulomatous cheilitis is an idiopathic inflammatory disorder characterized by persistent, asymptomatic, diffuse swelling of one or both lips. It is also considered as an oligosymptomatic or monosymptomatic form of Melkersson–Rosenthal syndrome. We herewith report five cases of granulomatous cheilitis of which three cases were females and two were males. The mean age was 41 years. The average duration of symptoms was 2.5 years (2–3 years). Four patients presented with asymptomatic persistent swelling of the upper lip and one patient with lower lip. Two cases showed associated fissuring and angular cheilitis. One case also showed involvement of the left cheek. All the patients showed moderate improvement with combination of minocycline and intralesional triamcinolone therapy

Severity and mortality associated with COVID-19 among children hospitalised in tertiary care centres in India: a cohort studyResearch in context

Summary: Background: It is critical to identify high-risk groups among children with COVID-19 from low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) to facilitate the optimum use of health system resources. The study aims to describe the severity and mortality of different clinical phenotypes of COVID-19 in a large cohort of children admitted to tertiary care hospitals in India. Methods: Children aged 0–19 years with evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (real time polymerase chain reaction or rapid antigen test positive) or exposure (anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody, or history of contact with SARS-CoV-2) were enrolled in the study, between January 2021 and March 2022 across five tertiary hospitals in India. All study participants enrolled prospectively and retrospectively were followed up for three months after discharge. COVID-19 was classified into severe (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), severe acute COVID-19, ‘unclassified’) or non-severe disease. The mortality rates were estimated in different phenotypes. Findings: Among 2468 eligible children enrolled, 2148 were hospitalised. Signs of illness were present in 1688 (79%) children with 1090 (65%) having severe disease. High mortality was reported in MIS-C (18.6%), severe acute COVID-19 (13.3%) and the unclassified severe COVID-19 disease (12.3%). Mortality remained high (17.5%) when modified MIS-C criteria was used. Non-severe COVID-19 disease had 14.1% mortality when associated with comorbidity. Interpretation: Our findings have important public health implications for low resource settings. The high mortality underscores the need for better preparedness for timely diagnosis and management of COVID-19. Children with associated comorbidity or coinfections are a vulnerable group and need special attention. MIS-C requires context specific diagnostic criteria for low resource settings. It is important to evaluate the clinical, epidemiological and health system-related risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 and mortality in children from LMICs. Funding: Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India and Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health and Aging, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland