Tre reserverade månader för fäder: Kommunala effekter av 2016 års reform på föräldraledighet och lönegapet

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the municipal effects of 2016 reform of the third “daddy month” on paternity leave and the wage gap between men and women. The reform adds 30 more parental leave days that are reserved for the father. Using aggregated panel data between 2012-2020 in an event study, a reform intensity measurement has been constructed to divide the municipalities into a treatment group (high-intensity) and a comparison group (low-intensity). The measurement calculates how exposed each municipality is to the 2016 reform based on the difference between the new quota threshold of 90 days and fathers’ average number of parental leave days taken in each municipality prior to the reform in 2016. The analysis finds that the 2016 reform increases the share of paternity leave that fathers take. Regarding the wage gap, the analysis finds no statistically significant effects, however the result indicates that the wage gap decreased during the selected period. This suggests that paternity leave could in fact reduce the difference in wage between men and women. Using geographical variations in the analysis, gives a more detailed and nuanced perspective on the different factors that could help explain fathers’ uptake of paternity leave. This analysis also investigates the desired effectiveness of family policy reforms.