Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics
Working Papers in Economics and Statistics,
Linnaeus University, School of Business and Economics, Department of Economics and Statistics
No 5/2025: Parenting Skills and Selection into Fatherhood
Lina Aldén () and Anne Boschini ()
Additional contact information
Lina Aldén: Department of Economics and Statistics, Postal: Department of Economics and Statistics, School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, 351 95 Växjö, Sweden
Anne Boschini: Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI), Stockholm University
Abstract: As women’s earnings have risen and parental leave policies expanded, expectations for paternal involvement have grown, potentially shifting the basis of fatherhood from economic provision toward men’s parenting skills. Using Swedish administrative data and a sibling fixed-effects design, we find that non-cognitive ability, key dimension of parenting skills, has become a stronger predictor of fatherhood over time among men with comparable earnings and marital histories. Exploiting a 2002 reform that expanded reserved paternity leave, we further demonstrate that heightened expectations for paternal involvement amplified this selection even when accounting for marriage and earnings. Taken together, the results suggest that societal shifts have altered the traits that shape men’s entry into fatherhood.
Keywords: Men; fertility; ability; parenting skills; earnings; marriage; parental leave
Language: English
58 pages, December 30, 2025
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RePEc:hhs:vxesta:2025_005This page generated on 2025-12-30 17:49:42.