Finland’s new government has announced plans to provide equal parental leave to all parents in order to encourage fathers to spend more time with their children.
The 34-year-old Prime Minister Sanna Marin, the world’s youngest prime minister, stated that the new family leave policy would grant 164 “daily allowance days” to each parent, totaling about seven months,
The country also declared that parents would have the option to transfer up to 69 of their own days to the other parent if they so desired. Additionally, for single parents, all 328 days will be allocated to the parent.
The new policy not only provides more time for both parents but it also eliminates gender-specific allocations, enabling gender-neutral language that is “suitable for all families,” according to a news release.
Aino-Kaisa Pekonen, minister of social affairs and health, stated, “The model guarantees the child a place at the center of family benefits and promotes wellbeing and gender equality.”
The new policy is scheduled to come into effect in fall 2021.
Currently, Finland allows approximately four months for maternity leave and about two months for fathers.