Paternity leaves in Finland have practically doubled in size after a 2022 reform of the parental depart system, the social advantages company has stated.
The change granted each mother and father equal quantities of depart for the primary time: 160 days every of paid depart, for use earlier than the kid turns two. Sixty-three of the times may be transferred to the opposite guardian, if desired.
The transfer was geared toward offering higher flexibility for households and bettering equality in working life. Now “more and more fathers take care of their child at home for a longer period”, the social advantages company, Kela, stated on Thursday.
Fathers of kids born after the reform have taken 78 days of parental depart on common. That’s virtually double the typical 44 days taken in 2021, earlier than the regulation change, when 54 days have been earmarked for paternity depart.
Inside Helsinki’s buzzing Oodi central library, a preferred assembly spot for fogeys with babies, infants crawled subsequent to dozens of parked prams on Thursday.
“I feel like you now see more fathers coming here than before,” stated Leo Vainio, who was spending time along with his one-year-old Unto. Vainio stated he had been on paternity depart for 2 months and described the reform as “very positive”.
“It is a good system of enhancing equality to offer both parents the same amount of days of parental allowance,” he added.
One other father, Kimi Lilja, stated: “I believe it will create a different bond between the child and the father when you are able to spend more time together, also with regards to the future.”
Kela’s lead specialist, Johanna Aholainen, stated: “The new rules emphasise values in society by aiming to even out the days of parental leave between the parents and, according to the statistics, we are moving towards this aim.”
