Parental Leave Policies and the Epistemological Transformation of the Public-Private Dichotomy

Abstract

The public-private dichotomy, rooted in Social Contract Theory, has historically circumscribed female subjectivity within domestic spheres while enabling male agency in public domains. This conceptual demarcation emerges from an essentialist ontological framework that associates masculinity with productive rationality and femininity with affective, reproductive labor. The paper critically examines the potential of parental leave policies to deconstruct these entrenched epistemological boundaries. Through a comprehensive analytical investigation, the research explores how emergent childcare leave policies might reconfigure workplace dynamics and societal expectations. The scholarly discourse does not propose parental leaves as a replacement for existing maternity legislation, but rather conceptualizes them as a supplementary institutional mechanism to optimize child welfare and parental engagement. Employing the theoretical lens of ethics of care jurisprudence, the study problematizes traditional public-private distinctions. The research methodology emphasizes a rigorous, evidence-based evaluation of the potential promises and limitations inherent in implementing progressive legislative frameworks. By interrogating the transformative potential of these policy interventions, the authors aim to generate nuanced insights into the complex intersectionalities of gender equality, familial organization, and institutional design. The scholarly intervention seeks to denaturalize deeply ingrained societal constructs, offering a sophisticated theoretical and empirical examination of how innovative policy mechanisms might facilitate more egalitarian conceptualizations of labor, care, and parental responsibility. Ultimately, the research contributes to a more sophisticated understanding of how institutional design can catalyze profound socio-cultural transformations, challenging established paradigms of gender relations and social organization.