Why do Spanish fathers still make little use of the family-friendly measures?

Abstract

This article examines why Spanish fathers still make little use of the family-friendly measures (FFM) they are entitled to. Amartya Sen’s Capabilities approach is applied to the analysis of this agency gap in work-family balance (WFB). Males wishing to balance work and family face a series of barriers that inhibit their use of FFM, creating a gap between the theoretical right to use these measures and the real ability to do so. We illustrate this broader issue with qualitative information collected from a Spanish sample (59 semi-structured interviews with 43 fathers, 6 salaried mothers and 10 HR managers). Three types of factors (conversion factors) that enhance/limit the capabilities of fathers to use reconciliation measures were considered: individual factors, policy and societal factors, and factors related to workplace organizational culture.