- Swedes can now take paid leave to care for grandchildren
- Single parents can take up to 90 days of the total 480 paid leave per child
- For some time now, parents in Sweden have officially shared childcare
Swedes can now take paid leave to care for grandchildren
Paid parental leave in Sweden can now be transferred to grandparents or friends, while parents can return to work early. Sweden was the first country to introduce such changes in its childcare system.
After first introducing paid parental leave for parents in 1974, Sweden is now embarking on a new parental leave reform that also allows for parental leave for grandchildren for up to 45 days if the person is insured for parental allowance, which is the majority in Sweden[1].
Single parents can take up to 90 days of the total 480 paid leave per child
"The aim of the new law is to give parents more flexibility and more options and to make it easier to reconcile family and work life. In addition, the new reform provides more opportunities for single carers, for example, and also gives access to parental leave to a wider range of family types, which is likely to promote gender equality," Stefan Forsberg, Director of Parental Insurance Operations at Försäkringskassan, told Euronews Next.
Critics have argued that the new system could encourage young parents to take on nannies as part of the benefit. However, during an intervention in the Swedish government in October 2023, Anna Tenje, Minister for Seniors and Social Security, said that the risk was not high.
It is reported that by the end of August, around 1,456 people in Sweden had transferred paid parental leave to someone who is not the child's legal guardian.
For some time now, parents in Sweden have officially shared childcare
Swedes on parental leave are known as "latte mums" or "latte dads." This phenomenon, whereby dads who are also pushing prams outside and raising their offspring on an equal footing are feeding their offspring in cafés, has enabled the country to achieve incredible economic results[2].
According to OECD statistics, almost 90% of people aged 25-64 are employed in the Swedish labor market.
Swedes are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave, with 240 days of parental leave for each parent in equal shares at the birth of a child. However, statistics show that, on average, parents in Sweden take only about 30% of their paid parental leave.
