“I believe it’s important for kids to know they havetwoparents”: Parents’ experiences of equally shared parental leave in Sweden

Abstract

Mothers tend to be the primary caregivers of infants, but some governments encourage fathers to share this responsibility. The Swedish national parental insurance gives parents the opportunity to share their parental leave equally. This qualitative study explored experiences of equally shared parental leave and increased paternal involvement from the perspectives of both parents. Cohabiting mothers and fathers of 12 infants were interviewed individually. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three main themes were formed: (a) holding on to equal opportunities (b) transition of responsibility and control, and (c) gaining a mutual understanding. At the time around the shift, i.e. when the father took over as primary caregiver, parents described that they were holding on to the ideal of equality despite challenges, such as various degrees of emotional strain. They also emphasized the importance of mother’s trust in the father’s parenting skills, and for the father to hold on to daily routines when taking over the caregiving responsibilities. Sharing parental leave equally appeared to enrich the couple relationship by fostering a mutual understanding of each other’s experiences. In policy and practice, both parents’ engagement in the caregiving of young children needs to be recognized as changes in parental roles and gender norms evolve in modern family life.