What if parental leave policies shape more than just short-term labor outcomes? While much of the existing research focuses on how such policies impact parents’ careers, Sofiana Sinani, winner of the Best Poster Prize at the Royal Economic Society Conference 2025, took a different angle: How do extended periods of maternal care influence children’s future aspirations — especially their choice of university studies and careers? Her project examines a 1995 policy change in the Czech Republic, where mothers were offered the option to extend their leave beyond the standard job-protection period. The results are following: boys exposed to longer maternal care were significantly less likely to apply to stereotypically “female” fields, such as education or healthcare. The research suggests that parental leave doesn’t just affect today’s workforce — it can shape the beliefs and ambitions of the next generation. In this interview, we explore the project that earned Sofiana Sinani the Best Poster Prize at the Royal Economic Society Conference 2025.

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