The Swedish Parental Leave (SweParLe) Dataset

The Swedish Parental Leave (SweParLe) dataset is a resource providing a comprehensive overview of the Swedish parental leave system and its development over time. It can serve as both a general reference for understanding the Swedish context as well as a data source for research purposes.

The initiative responds to the need for a comprehensive and detailed account of the Swedish parental leave system. The SweParLe dataset complements information available through international comparative sources, as the harmonization required for comparability often means that important country-specific features and developments are not fully captured. It therefore allows researchers to expand on evidence derived from other comparative sources.

The SweParLe dataset is intended to be developed as a live reference, which will be updated to incorporate additional features and further developments in the parental leave system in the years to come.

This upload includes the dataset itself (provided in an Excel file), with a variable list as well as descriptive and quantitative data; and accompanying documentation (PDF) providing an overview of the system, a description of its main components, definitions of key concepts and references to complementary data sources.

The current version of the dataset and its accompanying documentation include up-to-date information as of October 1st, 2026.

How to cite this work: Juárez, S. P. & Honkaniemi, H. (2026). The Swedish Parental Leave (SweParLe) Dataset [Dataset]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23233320

Funding: This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet, grant no. 2018-01825) and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (grant no. P25-0505).

Contact details

For questions or comments regarding the dataset or the accompanying documentation, please contact:

Sol P. Juárez, Professor: sol.juarez@su.se
Helena Honkaniemi, Researcher: helena.honkaniemi@su.se