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Determinants of the use of parental leave benefits by women in Sweden in the 1980s
Author(s) -
Sundström M.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 0907-2055
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2397.1996.tb00239.x
Subject(s) - generosity , parental leave , flexibility (engineering) , paid work , maternity leave , childbirth , work (physics) , demographic economics , family leave , fertility , longitudinal study , longitudinal data , psychology , labour economics , national longitudinal surveys , demography , sociology , political science , medicine , economics , working hours , pregnancy , population , engineering , management , law , pathology , biology , genetics , mechanical engineering
Sweden is famous for its high rates of female employment and fertility. This study uses longitudinal data from a nationwide Swedish company for 1983–1987 to address the role of the national parental leave program in facilitating women's combination of childbearing and paid work. In particular, we study how Swedish women used the options of paid parental leave (full time or part time), unpaid leave and reduced hours after childbirth. The flexibility and generosity of the program makes it possible for women to choose the combination of program usage and paid work that fits their family and work situation. We identify five distinctly different patterns of program usage (strategies) that are also found to differ in their determinants. For example, women who plan another child are more likely to stretch out their leave longer, and those older and more educated choose strategies that imply a quicker return to work.