Labour Market Patterns Among Women and Men Following the Uptake of Their First Parental Leave Benefit in Sweden
Abstract
This study identified long-term labour market patterns after taking the first parental leave benefit among women and men in Sweden and the socio-demographic, economic, and health-related characteristics among the identified patterns. We conducted a prospective cohort study, based on nationwide register microdata, including all women (N = 43,959) and men (N = 43,514) who had their first parental leave benefit uptake in 2010. Sequence analysis was used to explore their labour market patterns over 9 years after parental leave. We identified six labour market clusters for women: ‘Quick return to employment/studies’ (32%), ‘Ongoing employment/studies’ (24%), ‘Slow return to employment/studies’ (21%), ‘Weak labour market attachment’ (11%), ‘Increasing sickness absence/disability pension’ (9%) and ‘Death/emigration/retirement’ (2%). Among men, there were five clusters: ‘Ongoing employment/studies’ (74%), ‘Weak labour market attachment’ (13%), ‘Parental leave’ (7%), ‘Increasing sickness absence/disability pension’ (4%), and ‘Death/emigration/retirement’ (2%). Although most were economically active at the end of follow-up, among both women and men, marginalized labour market patterns were characterized by socioeconomic disadvantage and prior morbidity.
Authors
Marianna Virtanen, Katalin Gémes, Kristin Farrants, Jakob Bergström, Niklas Gustafsson, Laura Peutere, Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz, Kristina Alexanderson
Additional Information
- Peer-Reviewed: yes.
- Open Access: yes.
- Cite as: Virtanen, M., Gémes, K., Farrants, K., Bergström, J., Gustafsson, N., Peutere, L., Mittendorfer-Rutz, E., & Alexanderson, K. (2026). Labour market patterns among women and men following the uptake of their first parental leave benefit in Sweden. Scientific Reports, 16, article 2595. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35960-1
