6(38)
the importance of labor market work for all groups in Sweden. The reforms
furthermore strive for a gender-neutral responsibility for children by
strengthening children’s right to their fathers’ time. By emphasizing both
parents’ value to the child the reforms may also be seen as emphasizing
the value of children to the whole society.
This study investigates and compares these reforms on the division of
parental leave with the intention of contributing to knowledge about the
consequences of various gender-egalitarian incentives. The paper will start
with a background on the Swedish parental leave system and a discussion
on policy evaluation before data and methods are introduced. The
outcomes of the three reforms will be analyzed and a discussion will follow
on possible interpretations of the results.
