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

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.