"Dads Pushing Strollers on Weekday Afternoons"...The Secret Behind Rising Birth Rates [K Population Strategy]

(39) Sweden's No.1 Company Atlas Copco
Working Fathers Also Personally Take Care of Children's School Commute
"Men Can Take Parental Leave 3 Times"

Editor's NoteThe key to solving South Korea's population problem lies within companies. A workplace atmosphere that evaluates employees based on their work regardless of gender and a family-friendly culture are crucial to addressing the K-population issue. While low birth rates are influenced by multiple factors, it is important to ensure that workplace burdens do not become obstacles that make people hesitate to have children. Asia Economy visited companies leading family-friendly policies to identify the factors that helped these systems take root stably, and plans to explore various solutions with companies that lack practical conditions. Through this, we aim to encourage change starting from companies and analyze the government's role in enabling this. We listen closely to voices emphasizing that company culture and atmosphere that reduce psychological burdens are more important than financial support, and present alternatives from various perspectives.

In Nordic countries, it is common to see fathers pushing strollers during weekday afternoons. These "latte papas," strolling the streets with a coffee in one hand and a stroller in the other, actively participate in childcare through flexible work arrangements even after taking parental leave. Photo by Lee Hyun-joo

"My manager does not force me to strictly adhere to fixed working hours."

Jakob Borjesson (35, male), who works in the IT department of Atlas Copco Group in Stockholm, Sweden, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 13th, "(My manager) always considers flexible working, so if I come in a little late, I leave a little late as well," adding, "When my child is sick, I also work from home."

Atlas Copco, Sweden's largest company by market capitalization, is an industrial equipment sales company established in 1873. As of 2022, it employs 49,000 people worldwide. Borjesson has taken parental leave three times during his career. While working at Atlas Copco, his second child was born four years ago and his third child two years ago, and he took parental leave twice for 10 months and 8 months respectively. He said, "It is not difficult at all to find male and female employees who have taken parental leave at Atlas Copco," and added, "Even outside Atlas Copco, most Swedish companies have men taking parental leave."

Sweden, which introduced the world's first 'paternity leave' in 1974, currently allows up to 480 days of parental leave per child. Of these, 90 days are allocated specifically for fathers, making it mandatory for men to use them. This allocation increased from 60 days in 2002 to 90 days in 2016. The purpose is to increase men's participation in household chores and expand women's economic activities. As women's use of parental leave increased, leading to weakened workplace positions for women and lower pension income after retirement compared to men, the government expanded mandatory paternity leave. Approximately 87% of parents of children born in 2021 used parental leave.

Sweden also has a high income replacement rate during parental leave. For 195 days of parental leave, 80% of income is compensated. Additionally, collective agreements within companies provide further wage compensation, effectively raising the income replacement rate to about 90%. In contrast, South Korea's parental leave income replacement rate is only in the 40% range. Employees with children are legally guaranteed the right to work part-time, and can receive allowances based on the parental leave system for hours not worked.

Thanks to the paternity leave allocation system and others, Sweden's total fertility rate rose to 1.98 in 2010 and has recently maintained levels in the 1.5 range. The number of working women has also increased significantly. Sweden's female labor force participation rate is 80.8%, the highest among European countries. Sweden has invested heavily in expanding childcare facilities for children under three so that parents can focus on work without worrying about childcare.

Borjesson and his working wife share childcare responsibilities equally for their three children. "Since my wife and I work almost the same hours, we take turns dropping off and picking up the children from kindergarten," he said.

"Our working hours change like a semester system, so they vary slightly each time. If I drop off the three children and start work at 9 a.m., my wife picks them up at 3 p.m. when she finishes work. On other days, the roles are reversed."

Borjesson said, "If I drop off the children at 8 a.m., I start work at 9 a.m. and finish at 6 p.m." He added, "On that day, my wife picks up the children. She starts work at 7 a.m. and finishes at 3 p.m., then takes the children home," explaining, "She works from home for one hour to cover the time she cannot make up." He added, "The children always stay with either mom or dad, so they prefer it because they don't have to rely on others and can be with family."

In Nordic countries, paternity leave is considered a given. It is mostly mandatory. Sweden made it compulsory for fathers to take 30 days of paternity leave in 1991. Denmark recently introduced an 11-week mandatory paternity leave system. A father pushing a stroller on a street in Copenhagen. Photo by Lee Hyun-joo

Borjesson said, "Even before taking parental leave, I had no work-related burdens," thanks to a substitute employee hired by the company. He explained, "The substitute was a full-time contract worker, and the handover period was included in the contract duration." He added, "That employee was about 25 years old, just graduated from university, and I had enough time over four weeks before going on parental leave to explain the tasks." He also said, "When there were difficult tasks that juniors couldn't handle, more experienced team members helped out." He said, "The team members shared some of the more advanced tasks, so work continued without gaps."

However, Borjesson emphasized, "It is a prerequisite that employees work responsibly and adhere to the set working hours of 8 hours." Since the company grants autonomy to employees, they must perform to their fullest ability when working. In Sweden, the culture values not the hours worked but the actual work done and results achieved. He said, "Atlas Copco has a culture of mutual understanding regarding flexible work, so it has become established as a company-wide culture," and added, "I hope this culture spreads widely in the future."

Sweden, with the lowest birth rate in the 1930s, continues national-level discussions

"Mothers and fathers in countries with generous parental leave systems, including Sweden, have lower risks of depression and burnout." This is the result of a study by the Department of Public Health Sciences at Stockholm University last year on the mental health effects of extending parental leave. Other studies also found that Swedish fathers who took parental leave exhibited fewer risky behaviors such as alcohol abuse, and immigrant fathers who took more parental leave had lower psychiatric hospitalization rates.

Sweden views family-friendly policies that help balance work and family life as an investment beyond welfare. To this end, national-level efforts have been steadily made. According to the 1934 book "Population Crisis" by Swedish sociologist Alva Myrdal and political economist Gunnar Myrdal, who won the Nobel Peace Prize (1982) and Nobel Prize in Economics (1973) respectively, Sweden also recorded one of the world's lowest birth rates due to social changes from industrialization, similar to present-day South Korea. Since then, the government, political parties, and experts from various fields have jointly considered various support measures for work-family balance by promoting men's participation in childcare and women's economic activities.

In Denmark, where bicycles are one of the main means of transportation, it is common to see fathers using strollers and devices connected to them for childcare. Children are seated inside the strollers. Photo by Hyunju Lee

As a result, Sweden reached a consensus that welfare policies must simultaneously pursue high employment rates, low gender wage gaps, and increased birth rates to establish a social system that supports work-family balance. Sweden currently invests 260 billion kronor (about 31 trillion won), equivalent to 25% of the national budget annually, in welfare policies.

What efforts are needed to adapt Sweden's example to South Korea's reality? Experts point out that political circles must support institutional arrangements at the national level to enable voluntary corporate efforts. Professor Choi Yeon-hyeok of Linnen University emphasized, "The most important thing is the government's will, and there must be political parties willing to bring up this issue and compromise." He diagnosed that without national consensus based on public agreement, these issues will only be consumed as tools for political strife.

Professor Choi also predicted that solving South Korea's low birth rate problem will take a long time. He said, "In the domestic political situation, effective legislation on these issues is not passed and they only become subjects of debate," adding, "Procedural democracy lacking connection to votes cannot solve these problems."

Special Coverage Team 'K-Population Strategy - Gender Equality is the Answer'

Reporters Yuri Kim, Hyunju Lee, Hyunjin Jung, Aeri Boo, Byungseon Gong, Juni Park, Seungseop Song
Economic and Financial Editor Pilsoo Kim