Intensive parenting norms in Sweden: Prevalence and implications for childbearing, well-being and work trajectories

Intensive parenting norms have become pervasive in many wealthy countries and across different social strata, increasing the personal responsibility parents take for ensuring children’s well-being and success in life. Whether these norms are prevalent in Sweden is unknown.

Sweden is distinct compared to other studied contexts because the state has long taken a substantial role in supporting parenthood and childbearing.

Using new Swedish Generations and Gender Survey (2021) and linked population register data, we explore the prevalence and nature of intensive parenting norms in Sweden and differences by social and demographic characteristics.

The implications of intensive parenting norms are also poorly understood; we assess how intensive parenting norms are related to 1) adults’ well-being, 2) childbearing plans, and 3) work trajectories following childbirth.

Latent class analysis explores predominant population profiles of intensive parenting norms, whereas multivariate regressions assess the implications of intensive parenting norms.

Our results will inform discussion of how inequalities are generated and reproduced in Sweden and address a few puzzles in Sweden, including declining fertility rates and women’s stable leave-taking even when men take more parental leave.

We expect to also learn whether changing parenting culture helps explain an intensifying link found between increased sickness absence and gender-equal work and care arrangements within couples in Sweden.