Reforms for Equal Parenthood in Sweden

Executive Summary

Sweden’s generous parental leave system still entrenches inequality. Despite global praise, fathers remain heavily underrepresented in all forms of leave, with only 31% of parental benefit days and 38% of childcare leave (vab). Societal norms expect mothers to carry childcare responsibility, leading to weaker father–child bonds, disproportionate wage and pension penalties for mothers, and underutilised paternal potential. Research shows men face steeper wage penalties than women when taking extended leave, and employers are often less accepting of long absences by fathers.

Children, mothers, and fathers all lose from unequal caregiving. Mothers pay long-term economic costs, while fathers are denied bonding time and risk weaker relationships with their children. Children, in turn, miss equal access to both parents. This is not just an economic imbalance but a social one: children overwhelmingly turn to mothers for comfort, and only 7% say they would first talk to their father when upset. Unequal leave thereby reproduces gendered norms across generations.

A new employer-focused reform could shift norms. We proposes an employer bonus for companies whose employees share parental leave and childcare leave equally. Employers strongly influence leave-taking decisions and face direct costs when employees are absent. By rewarding equal sharing, the bonus makes employers agents of cultural change, encouraging men to take more time and normalising equal parenting across workplaces.

Complementary reforms are needed to rebalance rights and incentives. Beyond the employer bonus, the report advocates individualising parental benefit days, extending post-birth shared leave from 10 to 25 days, removing the one-year income protection that enables unpaid maternal leave, and raising compensation for the lowest benefit days. These reforms aim to close economic gaps, give both parents real access to time with children, and counteract systemic employer biases.

Policy recommendations

1. Introduce an employer bonus rewarding equal division of parental leave and childcare leave (vab).
2. Individualise parental benefit days to guarantee each parent time with their child.
3. Extend post-birth leave from 10 to 25 days to support both parents in early bonding and maternal recovery.
4. Remove income protection during the first year to reduce unpaid maternal leave and shift early childcare to both parents.
5. Raise compensation for low-level days to strengthen parental finances and reduce gender gaps.