But let’s be clear: The last decades of gradual introduction of fathers’ quotas have had an effect. Far more fathers take parental leave now than when fathers’ quotas did not exist.
“Quotas motivate both parents to take parental leave, but we still see that education, jobs and economic concerns have an impact on who takes the leave and for how long,” says Ásdís A. Arnalds at the University of Iceland.
Today, the term fathers’ quotas is used less than before. In most countries, the discussion now focuses on how parental leave is shared between parents.
Read this article in Norwegian on Arbeidsliv i Norden
Arnalds is one of three editors of the new Nordic report “Paid parental leave and social sustainability in the Nordic countries”.
More about the report
“Paid parental leave and social sustainability in the Nordic countries”
The report describes and analyses developments over the past 20 years. It also examines how parental leave policy can support sustainable development.
Editors: Ásdís A. Arnalds, Ann-Zofie Duvander and Johanna Lammi-Taskula
Contributors: Roskilde University, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, University of Iceland, NTNU Norway, Mid-Sweden University, Stockholm University
Funded by: NIKK, Nordic Information on Gender, among others.
She shared her experiences from working on the report during the Nordic Welfare Forum 2025 in Helsinki. The Icelandic researcher also participated in the conversation on “Reproductive agency and social trust in the Nordics”.
The Nordics took the lead
The report describes and analyses developments over the past 20 years. It also examines how parental leave policy can support sustainable development.
Sweden was the first of the Nordic countries to introduce parental leave, back in 1974. The other Nordics followed suit and developed family policies that included parental leave and childcare provisions.
Although often framed in gender-neutral terms, parental leave was largely taken by mothers. The result? Women increasingly reported that they were falling behind at work, losing skills, career opportunities and, in the long run, income.
The system also reinforced the traditional view that mum stays at home and dad goes to work.
Norway first, Denmark last
In 1993, Norway was the first country in the world to introduce a fathers’ quota, lasting four weeks. It was meant to ensure fathers would play a bigger role in looking after the children while they were little, thereby strengthening the bonds between them and their children.
It would also get women back into work quicker.
Sweden quickly followed, but it would take ten years before Iceland introduced a fathers’ quota. Finland came on board even later.
Number of paid weeks available to parents after birth
But not as late as Denmark. There, taking fathers’ leave was encouraged through collective agreements rather than national legislation until just a few years ago.
The Danes have been opposed to quotas, arguing for the right to choose and for parents’ right to decide how they want to share parental leave between them without state intervention.
The Danish government also tried to stop the “Work-life balance” EU directive, which includes the introduction of a fathers’ quota.
But in the end, they had to give in, and Denmark introduced a fathers’ quota in 2022.
Mothers take most of the leave
All the Nordic countries now have paid parental leave schemes, but they vary in length and design. Sweden has the longest leave overall, while Iceland offers the longest earmarked quotas for each of the parents.
Recent reforms in the Nordic countries
Denmark, 2022: Fathers gain a right to a 9-week quota
Finland, 2022: Fathers quota lengthened from 6 to 16 weeks
Island, 2021: Fathers quota lengthened from 16 to 20 weeks
Sweden, 2024: Possbility to transfer a part of the leave to grandparents (or others)
A development forwards gender neutral terminology (with some exceptions)
Key differences lie in the duration of fully or near fully paid leave, the flexibility of taking leave (full-time, part-time, over several years), and whether parts of it can be transferred between parents.
Yet studies show that in practice, mothers still take the most leave beyond the mandatory quotas.
Does higher compensation equal more fathers taking leave?
Economic concerns seem to be the most important reason why fathers do not take parental leave or take less than they are entitled to.
Education and income also matter.
“We see that newly educated parents are more willing to share the parental leave,” says Ásdís A. Arnalds.
Highly educated fathers take more leave, and highly educated mothers take shorter periods of leave. Low-paid parents and those with precarious work take shorter or no leave.
Where you work and what you work with can impact whether you take parental leave. Fathers point out that their work situation makes it difficult to take leave or that it might damage their career.
It is still difficult for some leaders in male-dominated occupations to take parental leave, although this is gradually changing.
More survey results
In 2024, a Danish survey of 2,500 men, carried out by Mødrehjælpen, found that one in four fathers took less leave than the 11 weeks they were entitled to.
Half of these cited financial worries as the reason. Other important reasons were the mother’s wish to take the leave herself, lack of rights to take parental leave and work conditions that would not allow it.
Parental leave days used by fathers
Surveys from Norway have shown that fathers in leadership positions are the least likely to take parental leave. Yet a survey of male leaders showed that those who did take leave did not feel that it necessarily damaged their career.
Fathers whose partners work part-time are also less likely to take leave.
Across the Nordic countries, low take-up of the fathers’ quota among non-Western immigrant fathers is linked to lower labour market participation among mothers.
Do we need new reforms?
According to Ásdís A. Arnalds, the report shows that fathers’ quotas and new policies have led to more equal sharing of parental leave in the Nordic region.
“But we can still do better,” she says.
The report’s authors point to new challenges. A changing labour market, with many young people struggling to secure stable jobs and incomes, weakens the ability to build up and use parental leave rights in full.
