Health before pregnancy and eligibility for parental leave benefits: a Swedish total population cohort study

Mothers with prior health conditions, particularly mental disorders, are less likely to benefit from the protective health effect of parental leave as they may not meet the eligibility requirements for more generous remunerations. This study highlights how the strong work requirement for accessing generous parental leave benefits could unintentionally exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities between mothers with and without poor mental health. Easing work requirements for eligibility to more generous parental leave remuneration could help reduce these inequalities and thus promote better mental health for all, particularly among more disadvantaged groups. As such, our findings empirically support the need for adopting the Health in All Policies framework when designing parental leave policies in order to minimise health inequalities.