Who cares? : A qualitative interview study about what hinders and what enables equal division of parental leave

Sammanfattning: This thesis addresses the persisting gendered division of parental leave in Sweden, where despite policies promoting equal sharing, women still take 70 % of the leave. Aiming to analyze what hinders and what enables equal division of parental leave, I conduct in-depth interviews with eight parents who equally share leave and six parents who do not. Thematic analysis is initially used to explore motivations for parental leave division. Subsequently, I use a theoretical framework focused on motherhood, fatherhood, and care ideals aiming to scrutinize how these ideals influence the division of parental leave. The equally sharing respondents constitute a unique group and by comparing their motivations to respondents who do not share equally, the study does not only generate knowledge about what hinders equal sharing of parental leave, but also highlights what enables it. This is important for gender equality in general and a clear political goal for Swedish family politics. The results indicate that the equally sharing group are guided by ideals of shared parenting, gender equality, and active involvement in both work and caregiving, emphasizing early bonding with both parents. In contrast, the non-equally sharing group, while expressing some desire for gender equality, leans towards more traditional motherhood ideals, legitimizing mothers' preferences for extended leave. Both groups share a commitment to involved fatherhood, but fathers in the non-equally sharing group encounter additional constraints tied to financial considerations and tend to perceive paternity leave as optional rather than obligatory.