The crossroads of equality and biology: the child’s best interests and constructions of motherhood and fatherhood in Sweden

Alsarve, Jenny; Boye, Katarina; Roman, Christine

doi:10.4337/9781785366000.00013

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Thus, the equal share of leave seemed to be idealised by most interviewees. This is also in line with findings from qualitative interviews with heterosexual couples as well as lesbian couples in Sweden (Alsarve et al, 2016;Malmquist, 2020). Although, in practice, couples do not always live according to the shared care and equal-carers ideal, they tend to consider it and refer to it.…”

Section: Work-related Considerationssupporting

confidence: 83%

“…This may be indicative of the ways in which dual-carer, dual-earner norms have permeated Swedish society (e.g. Misra et al, 2007), supported by campaigns highlighting a child's need for both parents, implicitly suggesting that such a need is fulfilled when they share parental leave (Alsarve et al, 2016;Klinth, 2002). Although normative discourse on equal sharing also shapes how parents talk about and describe the first period of the child's life in heterosexual and lesbian couples (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Division of Care and Leave Arrangements in Gay Father Families in Sweden

Evertsson

Malmquist

2022

Sex Res Soc Policy

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Introduction This study analyses the division of parental leave and the income development in gay father families through surrogacy in Sweden, seen as one of the most family-friendly and egalitarian countries in the world. Methods Based on longitudinal population register data, descriptive and bivariate regression models are estimated to analyse the parental leave uptake and income development of married partners becoming (first-time) parents in 2006–2015 (in total 53 couples). Retrospective in-depth interviews with 23 gay men in 12 couples, conducted in 2010 and 2018 are analysed thematically to study how fathers discussed and decided how to divide the leave. Results The process of establishing legal parenthood delays the fathers’ access to reimbursed parental leave. Despite this, the fathers’ earnings were not considerably affected by the addition of a child to the family. Once the fathers had access to reimbursed leave, they generally shared this equally, with a tendency for the genetic father to take leave first and for a slightly longer period. Conclusions The fathers becoming parents via surrogacy arrangements are a well-off group, able to counter the negative financial consequences of becoming parents. Swedish family policies enable parents to share the leave equally. Less impacted by gender and parenthood norms creating difference between parents, gay father families are in a better position to realise ideals of shared care and sameness. Policy Implications The delayed access to reimbursed parental leave structures the ability of gay couples to become parents and contributes to class inequalities in the transition to parenthood.

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Section: Work-related Considerationssupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Division of Care and Leave Arrangements in Gay Father Families in Sweden

Evertsson

Malmquist

2022

Sex Res Soc Policy

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“…Still, it is striking that even in this sample of high-educated and relatively young individuals, parenthood emerges as more important for women's professional strategies. Although Scandinavian fathers are often depicted as aiming at a new, more involved fatherhood (e.g., Alsarve et al, 2016;Björk Eydal & Rostgaard, 2015), this ambition is not reflected in their self-reported professional strategies. The analysis above shows that men's interest in 'family-friendly' work is more related to the work context -specifically, working in a female-dominated occupationthan to parenthood status.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On Different Tracks? Gender, Professional Strategies, and Early Career Wage Gaps

Grönlund

2017

NJWLS

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“…In addition, many women who live with children testify to feeling guilt for being absent. This reflects the fact that women and men perform their parenting duties in different conditions and that motherhood and fatherhood are constructed according to different ideals (Elvin-Nowak, 1999;Widarsson et al, 2014;Alsarve et al, 2016).…”

Section: The Swedish Context: Motherhood Work and Childcarementioning

confidence: 99%

Representing and experiencing motherhood on- and off-screen in Swedish film

Jansson¹,

Wallenberg²

2021

Media Work, Mothers and Motherhood

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This chapter discusses how common dilemmas of combining mothering and professional life are negotiated on-and off-screen. The chapter analyses experiences of combining mothering and film work and representations of motherhood on-screen. The study is based on interviews with women film-makers who belong to different generations and five films representing the caring for children in different ways. The need to secure economical subsistence and to cope with ideals of being a present mother are common themes in the interviews, and the chapter concludes that women's experiences of mothering reveal gender biases in the organisation of the Swedish film industry. Further, the films analysed reflect societal changes and continuities in how motherhood is constructed, but more prominently, they evade any easy or stereotypical interpretations of mothers.

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The crossroads of equality and biology: the child’s best interests and constructions of motherhood and fatherhood in Sweden

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Division of Care and Leave Arrangements in Gay Father Families in Sweden

Division of Care and Leave Arrangements in Gay Father Families in Sweden

On Different Tracks? Gender, Professional Strategies, and Early Career Wage Gaps

Representing and experiencing motherhood on- and off-screen in Swedish film

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