Parental leave in Sweden : Motives, experiences and gender equality among parents – focusing fathers

• The purpose was to explore similarities and differences in motives, experiences and gender equality between parents in two municipalities (one smaller than the other) in each of the two counties in Sweden with the largest difference in paid parental leave use among fathers. Data were drawn from interviews in 2008 with 16 heterosexual couples with a child born 2005 or 2006. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed inspired by grounded theory. A positive similarity was that couples experienced that they got to know the child better. Negative similarities were that mothers and fathers occasionally felt alone and restricted, fathers emphasized lack of male networks. Traditional division of household labor is a stronger pattern among couples in the southern county compared with couples in the northern county. Tendencies are towards increased child-orientation among fathers, which could connect to change in hegemonic masculinity, not necessarily related to increased gender equality in household labor. Differences may depend on that changes in values tend to first occur in heterogeneous social environments, such as the larger municipalities. In the northern county, extensive campaigns have been held during the 1990s to encourage men’s use of paid parental leave, which may have contributed to regional difference.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi -- Socialt arbete (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology -- Social Work (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

experiences

fathers

gender equality

motives

parental leave

regional differences

Sweden

Family research

Familjeforskning

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)