With a total of 16 months of paid parental leave, to be shared between both parents, Sweden was already known for having one of the most generous parental leave policies in the world. Since July 1, its policy has become even more generous: From now on, fathers, mothers, or any partners they might have, are no longer the only family members to be entitled to parental leave compensation when they stay at home with the child. The law now allows them to be replaced by a grandparent, uncle, aunt or any other person of their choice, for up to 90 days.

Under the current system, Swedish parents are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave – whether shared between two parents, or all for a single parent. For 390 days, the compensation is set at around 80% of the parent's income. For the remaining 90 days, it is capped at a basic level of 180 kronor (€16) per day. These leave days must be taken before the child turns 12. During the child's first 15 months, the parents can stay home together for 60 days; 90 of the 480 days are reserved for each of them.

According to the latest report from Sweden's Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan), published in mid-June, for children born in 2021, fathers took 27% of the leave, or 130 days – a 7-point increase over 10 years. For several years now, however, the debate has focused more on the advisability of extending parental leave compensation to other beneficiaries than on gender equality, partly to ease the burden on single mothers.

'Flexibility'

In its introduction to the reform, which came into force on July 1, Sweden's liberal-conservative government, backed by the far right, noted that "Swedish families are different and have different needs," and that restrictions "may prevent some people from caring for a child, and parents from balancing their family and professional lives." The aim was to introduce "flexibility."

Under the new system, therefore, each parent can transfer up to 45 days of leave to the person of their choice, with no age limit. This person will receive compensation based on their income, if they are working, or at the basic level, if they are retired. On Facebook, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hailed it as a reform that would finally allow "a grandfather" to take parental leave.

Yet the measure has not been met with unanimous approval. Social democrats, in particular, have worried about a "commodification" of parental leave, which could fuel a "nanny system." At the end of 2023, the CEO of the company Nanny.nu announced plans to develop a new service to help parents find babysitters, on a commission basis.

You have 12.22% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.