Report: Fewer fathers in top positions take parental leave

Fathers in Sweden's corporate leadership are taking considerably less parental leave than women, according to a new report by the Allbright foundation. The study highlights a significant disparity in parental leave uptake based on hierarchical position within companies, suggesting that societal norms continue to hinder gender equality in the workplace.

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So long as norms prevent men in leading positions from taking parental leave, equality will continue to stagnate.

Data from Statistics Sweden (SCB) indicates that in 2021, male managers in the private sector who became fathers took an average of 92 days of parental leave during their child's first three years. This is substantially fewer than the 243 days taken by their female counterparts. The gap widens at higher levels, with CEOs taking an average of 63 days, while men in high-quality professions outside of management took an average of 133 days.

"As long as norms prevent men in leading positions from taking parental leave, equality will continue to stagnate," said Allbright CEO Amanda Lundeteg. She emphasized that employees often emulate their leaders' behavior, making it crucial for managers to take leave to normalize it. While the statistics focus on paid parental leave, Lundeteg acknowledged that men might be home more, but the significant gender gap persists even when considering unpaid days, which women tend to take more of.

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Employees do as the manager does, and managers taking parental leave has a normalizing effect. How they choose to act plays a very big role.

The report also draws on a survey among members of the union Ledarna, where both men and women feel parental leave conflicts with management roles. Thirty percent of respondents believe parental leave hinders their career, and half cite organizational responsibilities, such as finding replacements, as obstacles. While 54 percent of men wish to share parental leave equally, a nearly equal percentage point to economic reasons as the primary driver for taking fewer days. Lundeteg stressed that employers must actively work to address these issues, suggesting that many female managers still take extended leave, which can negatively impact their career and pension prospects.

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Men generally take a third of the parental leave, but that it drops so much for management and CEO positions is remarkable and unfortunately very telling.