What protection applies during parental leave?
An employer may not disadvantage anyone for reasons connected to parental leave, whether in pay setting, reassignment or dismissal.
What the source says
- Section 16 of the Parental Leave Act: prohibition on disadvantage connected to parental leave.
- Chapter 1 section 5 of the Discrimination Act: sex is a ground of discrimination at work.
Source rows
- Parental Leave Act (SFS 1995:584)SFS 1995:584 · Equality Ombudsman · Read 2026-08-20 · Content hash 90c5825c9fad30bfOfficial source
- Discrimination Act (SFS 2008:567)SFS 2008:567 · Equality Ombudsman · Read 2026-08-20 · Content hash 9e98402edd6b8390Official source
For the employer · How the employer puts the question
Pay review during leave shall be made as if the employee were at work, and the reasons must be demonstrable afterwards.
For the employee · How the employee puts the question
Disadvantage can be reported to the Equality Ombudsman, the supervisory authority for the provision.
Next step
Read the parental leave prohibition together with the grounds in the Discrimination Act.
The rows reproduce what the source says. They are not legal advice, and applying them to a specific case is the reader's or their counsel's decision.
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