“Latte Dads” – sipping coffee with one hand and rocking strollers with the other
‘Scandi Daddy’ is a Swedish phenomenon - fathers stay at home and raise baby. They know their baby well enough to understand the baby talk and expressions. Unlike in other countries in Northern Europe, Swedish fathers freely enjoy the longest parental leave and walk around with strollers. This is a common sight in Sweden.
On August 14th at 2 p.m. local time, a team of Women News journalists interviewed two dads in a cafe on Gotgatan Street in central Stockholm. While they took a sip of coffee with one hand, they rocked strollers with the other hand. Their one-year old babies were sleeping inside the strollers. They can enjoy coffee at 2 p.m. because of paternity leave. If not, they would be working in office.
Victor(33) and Martin(40) are colleagues and their babies were born around the same time. Now, both of them are on parental leave. Victor said, “Currently, I am taking care of my 14-month-old baby. Martin and I meet once every two weeks and we chat about our babies.”
A newly coined term ‘Latte Pappor (Latte Dads in Swedish)’ reflects this trend.
In Sweden, a couple is guaranteed 480 days of parental leave when a baby is born and the parents are obliged to take 60 days each. The time fathers spend at home is known as “pappamanader,” literally “father months.”
About 90% of fathers use their paternity leave because they still get paid. Also, Swedish men believe that it is their right to take care of their children. Martin said, “I get around 90% of my usual salary. Now I can teach anyone how to raise a baby well.”
