Home of the "new father"?

1
Home of the "new father"?

• Historical perspectives on Swedish parental leave
  policy

2
Womens issues become jämställdhet (1960s)

• Gender equality as redistribution of rights and
  responsibilities dual roles for both women and
  men
• Gender equality as consensus building a
  win-win situation
• Gender equality as modernity the new father as
  a symbol of swedishness

3
Getting mum a job and making dad pregnant
(1970s)

• 1974 Paternity leave
• 6 month to share
• Today 480 days (50/50)
• 2 daddys months use it or loose it
• Men use 20 per cent
• 1975 Quota debate

4
New fatherhood as pedagogical project

• 1976 the Hoa Hoa campaign
• 13 Nation wide campaigns, 20 local campaigns
  (1976-2006)
• National Social Insurance Office, National Board
  of Health and Welfare, Government Ministries,
  Equal Opportunity Ombudsman and many more

5
Images of fatherhood and gender equality 1976-2000

• The competent father
• Silent revolution
• Parental leave as possibility
• Freedom of choice, flexibility
• Tailor made solutions
• Self development, EQ
• The best of both worlds
• Male subordination
• Stand your ground!

6
Conclusions (1976-2000)

• Equality on male terms
• Fatherhood as consumption rather than
  production
• Men as secondary parents

7
Images of fatherhood and gender equality 2001-2006

• Half each!
• Parenthood, rather than fatherhood
• Childrens rights

8
Conclusions 2001-2006

• Men as primary, rather than secondary parents
• Parents rather than dads
• Back to the radical redistribution logic of the
  1960s

9
In order to realize its full potential as policy
instrument, paternity leave must

• be universal
• be individual (non-transferable)
• be flexibly administrated (?)
• offer job protection
• offer substantial wage protection
• Sweden and the other Nordic countries are close
  to this ideal