Funding granted for parental leave research by Hägglund and Helske

Postdoctoral researcher Anna Erika Hägglund and senior researcher Satu Helske have received a €100,000 grant from Svenska kulturfonden for research on the division of parental leave.

In the REGPARENT project, carried out within the INVEST Flagship, Hägglund and Helske examine how Swedish- and Finnish-speaking couples divide parental leave, and what role gender roles and attitudes toward gender equality play in decisions about how parental leave is shared between mothers and fathers.

Previous studies have shown that fathers’ socioeconomic status and level of education influence the use of parental leave: fathers with lower income and education levels take parental leave less often than other fathers. Earlier research also found that the use of parental leave among fathers increased more significantly in Swedish-speaking municipalities.

The REGPARENT project focuses especially on the influence of families’ residential environment. The researchers analyze how the local language environment and attitudes toward gender equality are related to the division of parental leave in Swedish- and Finnish-speaking families.