Swedish grandparents can now be paid for taking care of their grandchildren

The move comes 50 years after Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce paid leave for both parents.

Sweden currently offers around 16 months of paid parental leave that is divided equally between parents. Source: Getty / Thanasis Zovoilis

Key Points

• Grandparents in Sweden will now be able to access paid parental leave while caring for grandchildren.
• The legislation is the first of its kind in the world.
• Parents will be able to transfer leave for up to 45 days of a child's first year or 90 days for single parents.

Sweden has passed a world-first law allowing grandparents to access paid parental leave while caring for grandchildren.

Parents will be able to transfer parental leave to the child's grandparents for up to 45 days of a child's first year or 90 days for single parents.

The legislation comes after Sweden first approved the transfer of parental allowance in December.

2024 marks 50 years since Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce paid parental leave for both parents.

Sweden offers around 16 months of paid parental leave per child, divided equally between the mother and father, yet either parent can donate five of those months to the other parent.

For the first 13 months, parents receive 80 per cent of their salary, with a limit of up to 38,480 krona ($5,400) per month.

Swedish women continue to take longer leave than male partners because they are often paid less but the gender gap is narrowing.

In 2005, only one in 10 couples shared the leave equally but by 2022, 46 per cent of those taking parental leave were men.

Does grandparent leave exist in Australia?

While Australia does not offer the transfer of parental leave to grandparents, some companies have committed to offering this leave.

Over 100 of Australia's largest employers have joined an initiative led by Parents at Work and UNICEF Australia to improve family-friendly policies in workplaces, with some committing to grandparent leave.

In June 2023, Melbourne law firm Legalite introduced 'grandternity' options for employees.

The company offered paid parental leave to employees who are both grandparents and primary carers equal to any other employee.

At the time, Legalite's managing principal Marianne Marchesi said that by introducing the entitlement, the company was "supporting diversity in caring arrangements."

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse.