Denmark parental leave reform is pushing more fathers and co-mothers to take time off with their newborns, according to new figures from the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment (Styrelsen for Arbejdsmarked og Rekruttering, STAR). In July 2025, 24,144 men received parental benefits (barselsdagpenge), close to 60 percent more than in July 2022, just before the current earmarked-leave rules began applying to new births.
July 2025 figures show a shift in who takes benefits
The STAR figures indicate a clear change in the monthly profile of parental leave in Denmark. While the number of men receiving barselsdagpenge has climbed sharply, the number of women on benefits has moved in the opposite direction over the same period.
The figures do not, by themselves, prove that families are taking more total leave overall. Instead, they point to a redistribution of the benefit-supported weeks within households, in line with the policy goal that both parents should take a larger share of early childcare.
How Denmark’s 11-week earmarked leave works under the amended law
The 2022 reform amended Denmark’s maternity and parental leave framework (often referred to as the Act on Maternity Leave, Barselsloven) for parents of children born on or after 2 August 2022.
In practical terms, the reform made 11 weeks of leave with benefits non-transferable for each parent in households where both parents are employees and qualify for benefits. Those weeks must be used by the entitled parent within the child’s first year, or they are generally lost.
Denmark’s system distinguishes between the right to be absent from work and the right to parental benefits during that absence. Official guidance for residents also notes that:
- Pregnant women have the right to four weeks of leave before birth and ten weeks after birth.
- Fathers and co-mothers have the right to two weeks of leave in connection with the birth.
- After the first ten weeks after birth, each parent has the right to parental leave, with options to extend the total leave period under certain conditions.
The reform mainly changed the distribution of benefit weeks between parents after birth, rather than abolishing flexibility entirely.
Why earmarking changes behaviour more than campaigns do
Denmark, like several EU countries, moved toward earmarked leave partly to reduce the risk that “shared” leave ends up being taken overwhelmingly by mothers.
The underlying mechanism is simple: when a portion of leave cannot be transferred, families face a clearer choice between the second parent using the weeks or losing them. That tends to increase uptake among fathers and co-mothers, especially in workplaces where taking leave has already become socially accepted.
STAR has previously found that, after the reform, fathers on average took several more weeks of benefit-supported leave in the child’s first year, while mothers’ average benefit-supported leave declined.
What it could mean for pay gaps, pensions and career breaks
The shift has broader implications beyond the first year of a child’s life. In Denmark and across Europe, career interruptions related to childbirth and early childcare are a major driver of longer-term income and pension gaps.
If more fathers and co-mothers take a larger share of leave, mothers may be able to return to work earlier or maintain stronger continuity in earnings. Over time, that can affect promotion trajectories, seniority, and pension contributions.
At the same time, the reform does not automatically equalise outcomes. The impact will depend on how leave is taken across different sectors and income groups, and on whether workplaces adapt their norms and staffing practices.
Uneven access remains a challenge for some families
One key limitation is that not all parents are in the same labour-market position.
Research and stakeholder reports have pointed out that self-employed parents, students and some unemployed parents can face different rules and constraints, including stricter eligibility requirements for benefits or more limited earmarking.
Household finances also matter. Even when benefits are available, differences between a person’s regular salary and the benefit level can make it harder for the higher earner—often still the father in many couples—to take the full non-transferable period.
Denmark’s reform in a wider EU and Nordic context
The Danish changes align with a broader European move toward minimum standards for work–life balance, including non-transferable parental leave for each parent.
Within the Nordic region, Denmark has historically been seen as more flexible but less quota-driven than Sweden and Norway, where father-specific leave entitlements have long been used as a policy tool. The Danish reform brings the country closer to the Nordic trend of using earmarked weeks to shape behaviour, while keeping an overall system that still allows families to distribute a significant share of leave according to preference.
What to watch next
The July 2025 figures suggest the reform is continuing to reshape how Danish families use benefit-supported leave. The next questions are whether the trend holds across all sectors and municipalities, whether families use the earmarked weeks consistently over time, and whether the change translates into measurable effects on women’s labour-market outcomes.
For policymakers, Denmark will also serve as a test case for how far earmarking can shift norms without creating new inequalities between employees in stable jobs and parents in more precarious or atypical work situations.
