Changing ideas of being a man: Swedish dads caring for babies celebrated in photo show now in US

Swedish men are entitled to some of the most generous paternity leave in the world. It helps them to bond with their baby, and women to overcome giving birth

Yet a photographer dad couldn’t find role models of fathers as primary carers. Masculinity still gets in the way, he says. His photos are a counter to that

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Hanging on to Dad by Johan Bävman, part of his exhibition celebrating Swedish fathers caring for their babies and toddlers on paternity leave. Photo: Tommy Lindholm/Pacific Press/Alamy

Published: 1:00am, 19 Sep 2019Updated: 5:55am, 19 Sep 2019

The photos all show seemingly mundane moments of family life: a parent bathing an infant in a kitchen sink, another wrangling toddlers into a stroller, or coaxing a forkful of food into a daughter’s mouth.

If the parents had all been mothers, the photos wouldn’t be particularly exceptional. But all of the images are of men – fathers who, given generous parental paid leave by their government, chose to stay at home with their child for at least six months.

The images are part of a photo exhibition called “Swedish Dads”, a series of portraits of 45 fathers on display until the end of December at the Swedish embassy in Washington. The exhibition, by Swedish photographer Johan Bävman, has toured 65 countries, but this is its first time in the United States.

Bävman hopes to tell a story of gender equality in parenting, of a new perception of masculinity and what a society could look like if it truly prioritised both.

Photographer Johan Bävman’s exhibition of photos of Swedish fathers looking after their babies has been shown in 65 countries. Photo: Tommy Lindholm/Pacific Press/Alamy

“I wouldn’t be here if there were women in the pictures,” Bävman said. “These dads aren’t super dads. This is just a discussion about why we see these men as special, not because they are special. They’re doing the work women have done for decades.”