Consequences of fathers parental leave use:

1

• Consequences of fathers parental leave use
• Evidence from Sweden

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Why should fathers use more parental
leave?_______________________________

• Gender equality in home and in labor market
• Childrens access to both parents
• Higher fertility
• Family stability
• Personal development (?)

3
This study_________________________________

• Fathers parental leave use and continued family
  involvement

4
Parental benefit________________________________

• Introduced 1974
• Goals
• Gender equality
• Combine family and working life
• Emphasize shared responsibility of child raising

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Parental benefit_________________________________

• 240 days for each parent 480 per child
• 2 daddy and mummy-months
• 390 days 80 of earlier income
• 90 days flat rate
• Time frame 8 years
• Flexibility full / part time

6
Parental benefits_____________________________
7
Research questions_______________________________
__

• Will fathers who have used parental leave have
  shorter working hours?
• Will separated fathers who have used the parental
  leave have more frequent contact with their child?

8
Data________________________________

• Survey Time and Money 2003 by National Social
  Insurance Board
• Sample 4000 parents to children born 1993 or 1999
• 80 response rate
• Register data added

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Fathers parental leave use______________________
____
10
Fathers working hours__________________________
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Mean working hours by parental leave
use__________________________________
12
Fathers working hours by parental leave
use(OLS)_______________________________________
Controlled for age of youngest child in
household, fathers age, education
of father and mother, mothers working hours,
flexible working hours by
father and mother
13
The second question _____________________________
___________

• Will separated fathers who have used the parental
  leave have more frequent contact with their
  child?

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Separated fathers contact with their children,
days per month ___________________________________
___
15
Mean number of contact days per
month_________________________________
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Method__________________________________________

• Multinomial logistic model
• - no contact
• - 1 to 10 contact days per month
• - more than 10 contact days per month

17
Separated fathers contact with their children
_______________________________________
Controlled for mothers age and use of parental
leave, year of birth for
the child, education of mother, new partner,
number of children in
the household
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Conclusions_________________________________

• Fathers who use the parental leave
• work less hours
• have more frequent contacts with their children
  if they separate
• Selection or causality ?
• Indication that fathers parental leave encourage
  childrens access to both parents?

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More results Fathers work less hours
when________________________________________

• Youngest child in household is under 2 years
• He is younger
• He has higher education
• He has no flexibility in working hours
• Mother work fulltime
• (no effect of mothers education or flexible
  hours)

20
More results for children with separated
parents__________________________________

• Children with older mothers have more contacts
  with their fathers
• Children in household with two children have more
  contacts with their fathers than children with no
  or more siblings.
• (no effect of - mothers and fathers
  education,
• - mothers parental leave use )