Parental Gender Equality and Use of Oral Contraceptives Among Young Women: A Longitudinal, Population-based Study in Sweden

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how parental gender equality early in their children lives can influence daughters’ decision to use contraceptive pills. AIM: The study aimed at exploring whether maternal working time and paternity leave in Sweden during the first two years of their daughters’ lives is associated with the use of oral contraceptives when they are adolescents or young adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population was selected from a cohort of all Swedish fathers and mothers who had their first child together between 1988 and 1989 (n = 57,520 family units). Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the association. RESULTS: Mothers’ longer working time was mildly associated with daughters’ oral contraceptive pill use, though no clear trend was observed. Longer paternity leave periods (>30 days) were not associated with use of oral contraceptives among their daughters, but 1-30 day periods showed a mild positive association. CONCLUSION: For maternal working time, there seems to be an association, but trends by working hours are not clear. There is no clear association between paternity leave during the first two years of their daughters’ life and the use of oral contraceptives when they are adolescents and young adults.