Impact of information intervention on paternity leave use

Last registered on September 16, 2019
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Impact of information intervention on paternity leave use
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004420
Initial registration date
September 16, 2019

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
September 16, 2019, 1:54 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Finland
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Signe Jauhiainen
Affiliation
The Social Insurance Institution of Finland
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Miia Saarikallio-Torp
PI Affiliation
The Social Insurance Institution of Finland
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2018-06-01
End date
2020-12-31
Keywords
Gender, Labor, Welfare
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
C93, H31, J13
Secondary IDs
Abstract
This study examines the impact of information intervention on paternity leave use. In Finland, fathers are entitled to paternity leave of 54 working days. Fathers can use 1 to 18 days at the same time as the child's mother is on leave. The remaining days be can used after the parental leave but not later than the child reaches the age of two. More than half of fathers do no use the remaining days of their leave. In this trial, we test whether an information intervention has an impact and send fathers a letter that provides information on paternity leave.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Jauhiainen, Signe and Miia Saarikallio-Torp. 2019. "Impact of information intervention on paternity leave use." AEA RCT Registry. September 16. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4420-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We send letters to fathers. The letters contain information on paternity leave, instructions how to apply for allowance and fathers’ testimonies. Two different letters are tested, focusing on either family or working life.
Intervention (Hidden)
We send letters to fathers that have had a baby between 1st of June and 31st of August 2018. The letters contain information on paternity leave, instructions how to apply for allowance and fathers’ testimonies. Two different letters are tested, focusing on either family or working life. The letters were sent in November and December 2018 when the child was 3-6 months old.
Intervention Start Date
2018-11-26
Intervention End Date
2018-12-07

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1) Take-up of paternity leave, percentage of fathers
2) Duration of paternity leave, average number of days
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
We observe the take-up and duration of paternity leave from the administrative registers of The Social Insurance Institution of Finland.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Timing of paternity leave, age of children
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We randomly select 4000 fathers to the treatment group. 1500 fathers receive a letter focusing on working life and another 1500 fathers a letter focusing on family life. In the third sub-group of 1000 fathers, we send the letter to both father and mother. Fathers having a child that was born during the same time period form the control group.
Experimental Design Details
The target population is fathers that have had a baby between 1st of June and 31st of August 2018. We randomly select 4000 fathers to the treatment group. 1500 fathers receive a letter focusing on working life and another 1500 fathers a letter focusing on family life. In the third sub-group of 1000 fathers, we send the letter to both father and mother. Fathers having a child that was born at the same time form the control group. We measure the take-up rate and duration of paternity leave from register data after treated fathers' children have reached the age of two.
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a statistical software
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
4000 fathers in the treatment group and 4654 fathers in the control group (no clusters)
Sample size: planned number of observations
4000 fathers in the treatment group and 4654 fathers in the control group
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1500 fathers receive a letter focusing on family life, 1500 fathers receive a letter focusing on working life, 1000 fathers and mothers receiving a letter and 4654 in the control group
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Research Ethics Committee of The Social Insurance Institution of Finland
IRB Approval Date
2018-11-20
IRB Approval Number
Application number 8/1/500/2018
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials