Will Swedish Dads to share child leave equally by mid 2030s?

The share of the generous 480 days of child leave taken by men increased this year to 29.3 percent, slightly up on from the 27.6 percent they took last year.

But Niklas Löfgren, a spokesman for the Agency warned that the situation reaching equality will require further government action.

“If its going to continue like this, regular reforms are needed which raise the threshold,” he said.

He pointed out that the ratio was unlikely to continue improving at the current rate of one or two percentage points every year.

“With that logic, after x number of years men would also take the full hundred percent,” he said. “You should bear in mind that it probably isnt a linear development, and that with all likelihood, its going to plateau and go a little more slowly in future.”

Löfgren said that the current inequality in child leave had a significant negative impact on women.

“Women work double to a greater extent than men do, and there is a greater risk that women go on sick leave after their first child," he said. "We see that income development is similar between men and women until after the first child. But after that you start to see differences which dont disappear.”

The agencys figures also showed stark geographical differences in the how much child leave was taken by men, with men in the most unequal municipality, Perstorp in northern Skåne, taking just 21.6 percent of the leave, and those in Dorotea, in northern Sweden, taking 37.4 percent.

The most equal municipalities (% leave taken by men).

1. Dorotea 37.4%

2. Högsby 35.3%

3. Umeå 34.7%

4. Härryda 34.5%)

5. Norsjö 34.2%)

6. Vaxholm (33.9%)

7. Skellefteå (33.9%)

8. Ekerö (33.8%)

9. Knivsta (33.6%)

10. Täby (33.3%)

The least equal municipalities (% leave taken by men).

1. Perstorp (21.6%)

2.Vingåker (21.9%)

3.Haparanda (22.%)

4.Norberg (22.5%)

5.Eda (23%)

6.Torsby (23.2 %)

7.Åsele (23.4%)

8.Färgelanda (23.5 %)

9.Strömstad (23.5%)

10.Klippan (24.1%)