Balancing Politics and Parenthood: Insights into the Work-Family Balance and Political Behavior of Members of the European Parliament

The European Parliament (EP) is renowned for being a notably women-friendly institution, boasting a relatively high number of women members and an explicit commitment to safeguarding individuals from "dismissal for a reason connected with maternity" (The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, Art. 33(2)). Conversely, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) themselves lack the right to parental leave, facing the additional challenge of extensive travel between the parliament and their constituencies. This discrepancy poses significant challenges, particularly for mothers of young children, potentially dissuading young women from entering or remaining in the EP. This paper explores how MEPs who are parents, especially those with young children, navigate the delicate balance between their political responsibilities and childcare duties. Additionally, it investigates how being a parent of young children influences the day-to-day work lives of MEPs and the specific parliamentary activities in which they engage. For both of the research questions the study focuses on the differences between mothers and fathers particularly. To conduct the analyses, I leverage a newly collected, comprehensive dataset encompassing information about the children and families of all MEPs in the current legislative term (2019-2024), alongside details about their careers and political behavior. These data are augmented by the outcomes of a survey administered to current MEPs. To capture individual work-family life balance solutions and gather insights from affected parents themselves, I conducted interviews with parent MEPs. This paper contributes on two fronts: first, by identifying the challenges faced by parent MEPs, particularly mothers, it enhances our understanding of the gendered nature of the EP and may ultimately contribute to improving parental representation in this influential parliamentary body. Second, by scrutinizing the impact of parenthood on political behavior in the EP, this study advances our comprehension of political dynamics within this context.