Chapter 12: Do leave policies impact fertility? The case of immigrants from low-fertility countries in Sweden

• Other Authors: Mussino, Eleonora (Editor)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Cheltenham, UK Edward Elgar Publishing 2022
• Subjects: JFF; low fertility; Immigrant, Parental Leave; Sweden; event history analysis; adaptation
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

Fertility behaviour is strongly influenced by social and cultural norms, as well as welfare policies such as parental leave. This chapter considers the fertility of immigrants from low-fertility countries in Sweden, and estimates the effect of parental leave uptake on their fertility. Sweden is an important case as its welfare regime provides support for women and men to combine childbearing and employment, which has been positively linked to continued childbearing. Additionally, Sweden's welfare regime is typically regarded as universalistic: everyone residing in this country is entitled to the same social rights. Thus, the focus on Sweden and immigrants from low-fertility settings identifies patterns for women who moved to a context where their fertility desires can be more easily realized than in their country of origin. Signs of adaptation were found among immigrants from low-fertility countries in Sweden and, for some groups, extensive parental leave uptake sped up this process.