Photo: Kelli McClintock / Unsplash

Today's ideal father is a man who engages early in childcare, is a good parent, and has a stable income. Anne Boschini, professor of economics at the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University, and Lina Aldén, associate professor of economics at Linnaeus University, emphasize this in the SNS report "The Modern Father – Changing Preconditions for Fatherhood."

The researchers emphasize the higher parenting skills of today's fathers compared to previous generations. This is a result of contemporary fatherhood requiring more active caregiving, and women, with increased economic independence, preferring to start families with men who have good parenting skills. At the same time, men with low parenting skills increasingly choose not to become fathers.

We see that men's social competence plays an increasingly important role in their likelihood of becoming fathers. This applies regardless of income level and whether they have a partner or not. Meanwhile, the report shows that fathers who do not take any or very few parental leave days during the child's first two years are increasingly low-income earners, earning less than the mother, says Lina Aldén.

The economic factor seems to have less significance in how mothers and fathers take parental leave or distribute it between themselves. This appears paradoxical to the researchers: fathers who earn the least in the household often do not take the days allocated for each parent in parental insurance. The results also indicate that fathers who do not take any parental leave increasingly belong to households with more traditional gender norms. It turns out that not only the father's more traditional norms are crucial in whether he takes parental leave, but the mother's norms also seem to play an equally decisive role.

Aldén and Boschini also highlight that men who enter parenthood similarly to women, meaning men who take early caregiving responsibilities, develop both parenting skills and a sense of responsibility that strengthens their role as active parents. Despite more fathers taking parental leave, a significant proportion still takes less than the three reserved months. According to the report, about one in six fathers does not take a single parental leave day before the child turns two. Additionally, mothers still take much longer parental leave, leading to lower income and, eventually, lower pensions for women.
– It is evident that more needs to be done for men to take caregiving responsibilities early in their children's lives. This could be achieved, for example, by requiring the reserved days in parental insurance to be taken before the age of two. Or even by reserving half of the parental leave days for each parent, says Anne Boschini.

The need for early and preventive measures could be crucial for men's ability to start a family in the long run. Anne Boschini and Lina Aldén suggest some recommendations that could positively impact the modern father role and society as a whole.
One such direct measure could be expanding parental support with efforts explicitly targeted at fathers, such as specific dad groups the first years to support fathers in taking early caregiving responsibility.

In the long term, the researchers recommend measures that support the development of social skills in young boys in elementary school. This can contribute to higher income and increased attractiveness as a father later in life, potentially reducing the risk of socioeconomic polarization among men.

We see a risk of increased polarization between men who 'have it all' and men who have poorer opportunities both in the labor market and to start a family. Such a development must be counteracted. Not only to help individual men—it is in the entire society's interest that more men acquire skills demanded in the job market. It's time for politicians to take the next step in the development of parental insurance and support for fathers, says Anne Boschini.

Key Findings of the Report:

•    Men's social competence has become more critical for becoming a father.
•    Having good parenting skills increases the chance of becoming a father.
•    There is a risk of increased polarization between men who 'have it all' and those with worse economic conditions and fewer opportunities to start a family.
•    Fathers who do not take parental leave days increasingly are low-income earners, earning less than the child's mother.
•    Fathers not taking any parental leave increasingly belong to households with more traditional gender norms.

Conclusions and Recommendations in Bullet Points:

•    Measures supporting young boys' development of social skills in elementary school can contribute to higher income and increased attractiveness as fathers later in life, reducing the risk of socioeconomic polarization among men.
•    Measures leading to increased employment, better educational outcomes, and reduced poverty can improve men's conditions for taking parental leave.
•    Expansion of parental support with efforts explicitly targeting fathers, such as specific dad groups at the Child Health Center, can support fathers in taking early caregiving responsibility.
•    Another way to encourage fathers to take early caregiving responsibility is to introduce a cap for when the currently reserved days in parental insurance can be taken—e.g. before the child turns two.
•    To shift societal expectations and achieve more equal caregiving responsibilities, mandatory measures, such as reserving half of the parental leave days for each parent, are likely necessary. This creates conditions for more equal parenthood and increased economic equality.

Read the full report here

Contact

Anne Boschini, professor of economics at the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University.
anne.boschini@sofi.su.se 

Lina Aldén, associate professor of economics at Linnaeus University.
lina.alden@lnu.se