Social Democrats challenge Liberals over parental leave reform plans
Sweden’s centre-right coalition partners are divided over the future of “daddy months” in the parental leave system, with the Christian Democrats pushing to abolish them while the Liberals propose adding another month, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reports.
Christian Democratic leader Ebba Busch announced this week that her party will campaign in the upcoming election to remove the reserved parental leave months currently allocated to fathers—known as “pappamånader”—arguing that parents should instead freely divide leave between themselves.
“We trust Sweden’s women—they are capable and smart enough to decide for themselves how to structure their parental leave,” Busch told SVT.
The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from the Social Democrats. Annika Strandhäll, chair of the Social Democratic Women’s Federation, argued that the reserved months are crucial for both parent-child bonding and economic equality, as women’s careers still suffer disproportionately when they take the majority of leave.
“It’s precisely when families are formed, and women—who still take more leave than men—step back from work, that their economic progress stalls. That gap is never closed later in their careers,” Strandhäll said.
Coalition split on reform
The issue has exposed divisions within the four-party Tidö coalition government. While the Christian Democrats and Sweden Democrats support scrapping the reserved months, the Liberals advocate expanding them. Equality Minister Nina Larsson (L) defended the current system, citing strong public support and its proven impact.
“Parental insurance is one of the key frameworks we must continue—and develop,” Larsson said in SVT’s Agenda programme.
Strandhäll challenged Larsson directly over the coalition’s internal conflict, questioning whether the Liberals would draw “a new red line” on the issue, given past broken promises: “We know how your previous red lines have held up—or rather, haven’t.”
Larsson dismissed concerns that the reserved months would be abolished, stating she was “completely confident” they would remain even after the election under a continued centre-right government. “This is a future-oriented issue,” she said.