Parental leave and mental health across the life course: Investigating the introduction and expansion of the Swedish parental leave system
Parental leave can improve parents’ mental health by promoting gender-equitable work-life balance, yet evidence is lacking on the longevity of these outcomes and their extension to children. A unique opportunity to investigate these developments is the introduction and expansion of the Swedish parental leave system in the 1970s. By evaluating these reforms, this project will aim to disentangle the effects of gender-neutral paid parental leave for mental health throughout the life course and across the linked lives of parents and children.
The project will use total population register data on births, family ties, social factors and mental health outcomes. Families will be distinguished by policy exposure (children’s birth before or after the 1974 introduction and 1975 and 1978 expansions of parental leave benefits) and parental leave eligibility (maternal employment). Quasi-experimental methods will be applied to compare risks of psychiatric outcomes (psychotropic prescriptions, psychiatric outpatient and inpatient care, suicide) for individuals by policy exposure, eligibility and uptake, with follow-up from the child’s 18th birthday until 2025.
The societal costs of mental health inequalities in working life are growing worldwide. Evidence from historical parental leave reforms can guide how policymakers develop leave schemes and incentives today, helping to support gender equity and in turn tackle attributable health inequalities.
The project will use total population register data on births, family ties, social factors and mental health outcomes. Families will be distinguished by policy exposure (children’s birth before or after the 1974 introduction and 1975 and 1978 expansions of parental leave benefits) and parental leave eligibility (maternal employment). Quasi-experimental methods will be applied to compare risks of psychiatric outcomes (psychotropic prescriptions, psychiatric outpatient and inpatient care, suicide) for individuals by policy exposure, eligibility and uptake, with follow-up from the child’s 18th birthday until 2025.
The societal costs of mental health inequalities in working life are growing worldwide. Evidence from historical parental leave reforms can guide how policymakers develop leave schemes and incentives today, helping to support gender equity and in turn tackle attributable health inequalities.