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

Fertility behaviour is strongly influenced by social and cultural norms, as well as welfare policies such as parental leave. Here, I study the fertility of immigrants from low-fertility countries in Sweden, and estimate 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 will identify patterns for women who moved to a context where their fertility desires can be more easily realized than in their country of origin. I found signs of adaptation among immigrants from low-fertility countries in Sweden and that, for some groups, extensive parental leave uptake sped up this process.