Parental Leave Practice in Sweden and Gender Equality: A Qualitative Study on Dynamics in Swedish Parents' Leave-sharing choices

Abstract: A lot of research has shown varied contributors to Swedish parents' leave-sharing choices, including income, profession, and gender norms. However, there is an absence of studying the contributors as connected and interacting aspects. In this sense, this research aims to identify the dynamics of parents' choices on leave-sharing and gender equality. Specifically, the research explores what is involved in Swedish parents' choices on parental leave, and how those are influenced by or influence one another, applying the theory of social practice and social construction of gender. For this purpose, 10 semi-structured interviews of 5 fathers and 5 mothers, in Sweden, were carried out with a qualitative approach. As a result, it is identified that breastfeeding, income, and profession constrained the parents' leave-sharing choices and made certain patterns of leave use among different classes, professional affiliations, and gender. Also, it appears that the conflict in the parents' gender performativity between egalitarianism and redoing gender influences their leave-sharing choices, especially regarding flexibility in the fathers' leave days. However, the most important is that the meaning of constraints is variously interpreted by the parents who hold gender performativity. Not constraints nor gender themselves, but rather each way the parents interpreted the meaning of constraints within their gender ideals had a strong impact on their leave-sharing choices. Thus, there exist dynamics between gender and constraints when parents make leave-sharing choices. In this regard, the research shows that "meaning", "material", and "competence" in Swedish parental leave practice are interdependent with one another and proceed through the reality of linked bundles.