Clad in a sweater and khaki shorts, with socks on his feet, Joel, 36, gazed lovingly at Dag, his fair-haired and chubby-cheeked 13-month-old boy, as he toddled across a blue rug. The father, a career soldier, was amazed: "I could never have imagined the love you can feel for your child, growing stronger every day." For the past four months, Joel has spent every day with his son. For him and his partner, equally sharing their parental leave was a given: "It was my mother who took care of me and my four sisters. My father didn't even know how to cook. It was out of the question that I repeat that pattern."

Every Friday morning, Joel and Dag attend "Dad Meetups," which have been organized by the parish hall in Limhamn, a well-off residential neighborhood of Malmö, since 2007. That day, there were 16 men of all ages in attendance, each with their children, ranging in age from a few months to several years (school isn't compulsory until age six in Sweden). Some fathers were chatting, others played with their kids. Then, they all gathered in the middle of the room, sat in a circle and began singing nursery rhymes, before sitting down for a snack: The little ones ate their fruit purées and biscuits, and the adults enjoyed a coffee.

Sharing parental leave with a partner has become natural for many Swedes, according to Jens Karberg, an equality project manager with the Män organization ("men," in Swedish): "While men made up only 0.5% of parental leave takers when Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce it in 1974, today between 85% and 90% of men apply for it, and they take 30% of the time." In total, Swedish parents are jointly entitled to 480 days of parental leave, 390 of which are paid at approximately 80% of their salary, while the remaining 90 days are capped at a daily allowance of 180 kronor (around €15). A father is also entitled to 10 consecutive days' paternity leave after his child's birth.

One reform, in particular, accelerated the change, according to Karberg: From 1995, 30 days were exclusively reserved for each parent; and then 60, from 2002; and 80 days, since 2016. "This had a very significant normative impact: Whereas around 40% of men would take parental leave before, after 1995 the proportion rose to 70%, and it has continued to increase, even though women still face more pressure than men to stay at home," said Karberg.

You have 56.18% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.