9(38)
Figure 1
Women's and men’s share of used parental leave benefit days
1974-2009
Source: Swedish Social insurance Agency
When parents are asked directly they often claim that economic
considerations are most important for the division of leave (Duvander and
Berggren 2003). Also, empirical studies show that both parents’ income is
important for the sharing of the parental leave (Sundström and Duvander
2002; Hobson et al. 2006). Additional factors are found to have an impact
on the sharing of the leave, such as workplace characteristics (Bygren and
Duvander 2005), not least attitudes at the workplace (Haas et al. 2002)
and individual factors indicating labor market position, such as age and
education (for a review see Duvander 2008b). Other factors such as birth
order (Sundström and Duvander 2002; Duvander 2006) and parents’
country of origin (Duvander and Eklund 2006) are also found to be
influential. In qualitative studies attitudes to gender equality seem to
matter in terms of the division (Bekkengen 2002) but so far this has not
been tested in any large-scale quantitative studies.
There are two earlier studies evaluating the reserved months in
parental leave insurance. The effect of the first reserved month was
evaluated by Ekberg et al. (2005). Eriksson (2005) reports the
results of the second reserved month after the first seventeen
months of possible usage. Both studies indicate an increase in
fathers’ use of parental leave, but more so for the first reserved
month. Ekberg et al. also conclude that the long-term effects of the
first reserved month, measured by fathers’ take-up of benefits for
care of sick children later on in the child’s life, remained unaffected.
There is also one study evaluating the gender equality bonus
(Swedish Social Insurance Agency 2010b). In this study there is no
indication that the reform had any effect on fathers’ use of parental
leave eighteen months after its introduction.
In this study, the effects of the three reforms are analyzed at the
same point in time, 20 months after the introduction of each
reform. As parents may use parental leave days until the child is
eight years old, it is not yet possible to conduct a complete analysis
of all three reforms.
One objective of the reforms, however, is that the
child will have early and close contact with both parents, which it is hoped
