In the studywhich was published in the British journal Social Forces, the researchers were able to show that divorce has an effect on fathers’ babbling.
The researchers have used statistics from 1992 onwards to study divorced fathers’ babbling over time.
– It is a big change in how care work is shared. We’ve gone from a situation where the children lived almost exclusively with the mother to fathers’ whining increases after separations, says Helen Eriksson and continues:
– We see the same effect among the low and highly educated, so we conclude that the phenomenon of alternating living is widespread in society.
Exchange accommodation unique to Sweden
The development can be explained by the fact that the children live alternately with the parents and that the father then needs to take half of the responsibility. A system that is more common in Sweden than any other country in the world.
Cohabitation has increased from 2 percent among divorced couples in 1984 to around 50 percent today.
– It’s a quiet revolution that hasn’t been talked about much. We have not seen this division of work before, says Helen Eriksson.
Norms rule
According to the researchers, norms in the home influence how much maternity leave the fathers take.
– In the joint household, we all make very small unequal decisions which lead to us having a project manager, the mother, and the father who does what he is told, says Helen Eriksson.
So should you divorce if you want to be equal?
– Of course we don’t think so. It is very difficult to separate. But alternating housing can show the way forward, says Helen Eriksson.