Transgender parents in Sweden: insights from administrative data

Abstract This article uses longitudinal Swedish administrative data to provide the first population-level evidence on the prevalence and characteristics of transgender parents. In 2020, 10% of trans men (assigned female at birth) and 13% of trans women (assigned male at birth) were parents. Parenthood rates varied considerably by age, peaking at 41% for trans men aged 45–49 and 43% for trans women aged 50–64—about half the rates observed among cisgender peers. Paths to parenthood differed by gender: most trans women with children became parents before starting medical gender transition, whereas a majority of trans men with children initiated transition before having children. Compared to cisgender parents, transgender people entered family formation with weaker labor market attachment, and these gaps widened over time. However, transgender people with children were economically better off than transgender non-parents, suggesting a positive selection into parenthood. Taken together, our findings show that although a meaningful minority of transgender people form families, they remain a small and economically vulnerable group whose opportunities for parenthood are constrained by medical, legal, and social conditions.