Fathers in Sweden are encouraged by government to stay at home with their children. Photo: www.imagebank.sweden.se: Susanna Blåvarg / Johnér

In my home country of England, stay-at-home dads are something of a rarity. John Lennon did it for five years because he was rich enough not to work. My friend does it because he is an all-round good guy. But, for most, the term stay-at-home dad is a euphemism for unemployed.

As luck would have it, I am not burdened by a natural desire to work, so moving to Sweden and having children could not have been better.

Perhaps I should explain. In 1974, the progressive government of Prime Minister Olof Palme created new legislation on parental leave. In an unprecedented move, parental insurance was introduced as a state benefit, allowing the money to be split between either parent as they saw fit.

In other words, the government would pay for fathers (and mothers, of course) to take time off work. It was a move that was rightly heralded by governments across the world (although few have been brave enough to copy it, preferring instead to hold it up as an example of what they would do, if only they could).

The joys of parenting

And so, back to me. Newly arrived in Sweden, my heavily pregnant wife by my side, I was delighted to learn of my right to down tools and raise my child (after a statutory period of contributing to the Swedish tax authority, of course). My delight was compounded by the fact that my wife worked (as she still does) for a British company based in England, so was only entitled to a paltry amount of paid maternity leave. In other words, all the more leave for me.

I had heard stories about groups of fathers gathering in parks and cafes, bonding over tales of parenthood and foaming cappuccinos. So, on day one, off I set with a baby bundled against the winter chill and a wallet full of government cash destined for coffee and cake.

But, as with all tales, the telling and the reality rarely match. In 2003, Swedish fathers used only 17 percent of their allotted days; this despite 1995 legislation that resulted in the introduction of a non-transferable month of benefit (upped to two months in 2002).

And turning to the some would say more reliable source of social hearsay, it is common knowledge that Swedish men take most of their parental leave during the short sunny season and at times of “important global events” (the Olympics, or soccer World Cup, for example) or “major domestic chores” (painting the hallway, for instance).

What this meant in reality was that, as I had chosen to launch my paternity leave on a cold Monday in late October, I struggled to find fellow travelers to share a coffee with.


Taking parental leave as a father is beneficial for the family and society. Photo:www.imagebank.sweden.se Lena Granefelt / Bildhuset

Hands-on dads

So what went wrong with Palme’s scheme to get fathers back into the home? Well, nothing. Statistics aside, there isn’t a father I know in Sweden (and I know many) who hasn’t taken at least two months off in the first two years of their child’s life. That’s two months more than any fathers I have known outside Sweden. The fact that they didn’t take their months when I took mine is more down to bad planning on my part than any lack of responsibility on theirs.

More importantly, outside of the easily defined paid leave period, Swedish fathers contribute much more to the family unit than their international counterparts. The fact that during the writing of this article I have washed my daughters’ clothes (yes, I have two now), picked them up from day nursery and made an autumnal vegetable soup for their dinner is nothing that I can boast to my Swedish male friends about.

Swedish baby boom

The point is this: what Swedish fathers may lack in fulfilling government standards of equality, they more than make up for when measured against what fathers elsewhere do.

The result is a country with higher-than-average employment among women and one of the highest birth rates in Europe. Can this be linked to fathers who take time off work to be with their children? Well, with studies that show a second child is more likely in families where fathers take paternity leave, I would say yes. Staying at home could also save your marriage. A doctoral thesis published by Stockholm University - Gendering Family Dynamics - shows the risk of divorce decreases by almost a third in families where fathers take parental leave. I just wish that I had remembered to check when the US Open golf championship was on, that’s all.

Parental leave facts

- Parental benefit in connection with childbirth is provided for a total of 480 days per child.
- Sixty days are reserved for the father and 60 for the mother. The rest can be shared freely.
- 390 days are paid at 80 percent of the parent’s income, up to a given ceiling.
- The remaining 90 days are at a set daily rate.
- In addition, fathers are entitled to 10 days of paid leave when the child is born.  About 80 percent of fathers take advantage of this benefit.

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Rob Hincks is a British freelance journalist living in Stockholm. He took just over one year off work to be with each of his daughters, missed one Olympics, one World Cup, worked through a European soccer championship and endured one Eurovision Song Contest with his wife and eldest daughter. He never did find anyone to have that cappuccino with either.

The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.

Classification: A122ENa

© Front page image: www.imagebank.sweden.se: Susanna Blåvarg / Johnér
© Photo 1: www.imagebank.sweden.se: Susanna Blåvarg / Johnér
© Photo 2: www.imagebank.sweden.se Lena Granefelt / Bildhuset