( CNN ) When photographer Johan Bavman became a father for the first time , he took more than a passing wonder about how his native Sweden is said to be the most generous nation on Earth for parental leave . He immersed himself in fatherhood -- twice over , you might say . He used his photography to document the real-life experience of other fathers taking full advantage of Sweden 's extraordinary program , which allows mothers and fathers to take long , long leaves from their careers so they can care for their newborns . Get this : Sweden grants a total of 480 calendar days of parental leave , with 390 of them paid at 80 % of income , with a maximum of 3,160 euros a month or $ 3,474 . The remaining 90 days are paid at a flat-rate benefit of 20 euros a day , or $ 22 . But there 's a catch . Fathers have to share that leave with mothers . So to promote both parents to raise their children , Sweden has mandated that 60 of the 480 days be `` daddy months '' or `` partner months . '' If the 60 daddy days are n't used , they are lost , reducing the maximum leave to 420 days . The country also created a `` gender equality bonus '' : the more days that parents share the leave equally , they get a bonus that could total up to 1,500 euros , or $ 1,649 . The idea is for both parents to share the joys and struggles of raising infants . In reality , only 12 % of Swedish couples equally share the 480 days of leave , Bavman said , with women continuing to lead the way as the stay-at-home parent and men as the careerist . Still , Bavman mused last summer about how the policy impacts those men who use the full measure of their parental leave . Social media . Follow @ CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography . At first , Bavman had difficulty finding such men . But the fathers he did find and photograph , he captured their devotion in realistic imagery . `` I realized while I was talking to these dads , these dads are struck by how important the bonding is between you and the children , '' said Bavman , who now has a 3-year-old son , Viggo , with partner Linda Stark , a freelance journalist . `` I did n't want to bring out fathers as superdads , '' Bavman said . `` I wanted to bring out these role models which people can connect to . `` I want to have those dads who can also show their tiredness ... which comes with being home with your children . It 's a hard full-time job . This is something that we have been taking for granted for hundreds of years . This is something that mothers have never been recognized for . '' He also found moments of humor , with one child nearly ripping apart the shirt of his busy father . The fathers have become more understanding of their wives and even their own mothers , Bavman said . Some are now considering a career change to accommodate their parenthood . `` Being home nine months , they get time to think about their life , '' the photographer said . Bavman is looking for a total of 60 fathers to photograph , to culminate in an exhibition and a book . So far he 's found 35 worthy of his lens . Johan Bavman is a freelance photographer based in Malmo , Sweden . From 2008-2011 , he worked as a staff photographer at Sydsvenskan , one of Sweden 's largest newspapers .
Johan Bavman photographed fathers in Sweden , which has generous parental leave . Sweden 's policies encourage fathers to take just as much leave as mothers .