A feminist perspective on parental leave policies

This article focuses on the ways that three feminist theories-liberal feminism, cultural feminism, and feminist poststructuralism-might be used to craft parental leave policies. After examining each theory in detail, the article concludes by offering one example of an ideal parental leave policy that combines the best features of each theory to produce a policy that is responsive to faculty needs and works to change gender roles. Often faculty and administrators implement policies without truly thinking through the theories that underpin the policies. This article provides the tools to help create theoretically informed policy.