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Fathers on call? A study on the sharing of care work between parents in Sweden

Author

Listed:
  • Marie Evertsson

    (Stockholms Universitet)

  • Katarina Boye

    (Stockholms Universitet)

  • Jeylan Erman

    (University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract

Background: Swedish fathers’ parental leave uptake has increased over time, but progress has been moderate. In relation to this, we ask what factors hinder or facilitate the taking of leave by fathers and how – if at all – the leave influences the father’s relationship with his child. Objective: To study (i) the reasons for parents’ division of parental leave as well as the consequences this division has for their actual time at home with the child and (ii) the link between the father’s leave and his relationship with the child, as well as the parents’ division of childcare after parental leave. Methods: A multi-methods approach is used, where OLS regression models of survey data from the Young Adult Panel Study are analysed alongside qualitative in-depth interviews with 13 couples who have had a first child. Results: Quantitative results show that parents’ leave lengths vary with the reasons given for the division of leave and that fathers’ parental leave is related to long-term division of childcare. Qualitative results suggest that equal parenting is important to the interviewed parents; however, motherhood ideals may stand in the way of achieving it. Several mechanisms by which fathers’ parental leave may influence later division of childcare are suggested, including the development of a closer relationship between father and child. Conclusions: Policies aimed towards increasing fathers’ parental leave uptake have the potential to strengthen the father–child bond, contribute to a more equal division of childcare, and facilitate both parents’ understanding of each other and what being a stay-at-home parent involves. Contribution: This article is the first to show how parents alleged reasons for the parental leave links to the actual length of the mother's and father's leave. Results indicate that increasing paternal leave length is linked to improved couple relationship quality and a closer relationship with the child.

Suggested Citation

  • Marie Evertsson & Katarina Boye & Jeylan Erman, 2018. "Fathers on call? A study on the sharing of care work between parents in Sweden," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(2), pages 33-60.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:39:y:2018:i:2
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2018.39.2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Barbara Hobson & Ann-Zolfe Duvander & Karin Halldén, 2006. "Men and Women’s Agency and Capabilities to Create a Work Life Balance in Diverse and Changing Institutional Contexts," Chapters, in: Jane Lewis (ed.), Children, Changing Families and Welfare States, chapter 13, Edward Elgar Publishing.
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    Cited by:

    1. Claire Samtleben & Julia Bringmann & Mareike Bünning & Lena Hipp, 2019. "What Helps and What Hinders? Exploring the Role of Workplace Characteristics for Parental Leave Use and Its Career Consequences," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-30, September.
    2. Almudena Moreno-Mínguez & Marta Ortega-Gaspar & Carlos Gamero-Burón, 2018. "A Socio-Structural Perspective on Family Model Preferences, Gender Roles and Work–Family Attitudes in Spain," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-23, December.
    3. Samtleben, Claire & Bringmann, Julia & Bünning, Mareike & Hipp, Lena, 2019. "What Helps and What Hinders? Exploring the Role of Workplace Characteristics for Parental Leave Use and Its Career Consequences," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 8(10), pages 1-1.
    4. Eva Bernhardt & Frances Goldscheider & Malgorzata Switek, 2023. "Attitudes toward work and parenthood following family-building transitions in Sweden: Identifying differences by gender and education," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 49(30), pages 783-808.
    5. Livia Sz. Oláh & Rudolf Richter & Irena Kotowska, 2023. "Introduction to the Special Collection on The new roles of women and men and implications for families and societies," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 48(29), pages 849-866.

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      More about this item

      Keywords

      Sweden; parental leave; childcare; father-child contact;
      All these keywords.

      JEL classification:

      • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
      • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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