Finland plans to give all new parents the same license – Up News Info

Parents in Finland will receive the same amount of parental leave, regardless of gender or if they are the biological parents of a child, the government announced.

The changes, which were announced on Wednesday and could take effect as of 2021, are an attempt to promote gender equality and inclusion for same-sex couples and encourage fathers to take both free time and mothers.

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The measure is one of the latest reforms under the new government of Finland, led by Sanna Marin, a progressive prime minister who took office late last year. Ms. Marin made headlines when she took office late last year becoming the youngest prime minister in the world and leading a coalition government made up of all female leaders.

Under the new reforms, each parent will be allowed 164 days of paid parental leave, which increased the total allowance for a couple from 11.5 months to more than 14 months, the government said in a statement. Single parents will be entitled to use parental leave fees from both parents.

The Minister of Social Affairs and Health, Aino-Kaisa Pekonen, said the new policy shows "government investment in the future of children,quot; and in the welfare of families.

"The reform will be an important change in attitudes, as it will improve equality between parents and facilitate the lives of diverse families," he added.

But some labor and industry leaders seemed to distrust the changes. Ilkka Oksala, director of labor and social affairs of the Confederation of Finnish Industries, the country's largest employers' association, criticized the new policy.

"The reform does not improve equality, does not improve employment and does not improve the position of women in the labor market," said Oksala Helsingin Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper.

Lotta Savinko, director of labor affairs for Akava, a confederation of professional and administrative staff unions in Finland, told the same newspaper that "the fact that the child care subsidy is not touched at home is a real problem."

Experts said that, although the parental leave revisions had taken a long time, Marin may have been key to finally driving the policy.

"Sanna Marin represents the change and her values in politics and politics are in line with the new parental leave model," Elina Penttinen, a professor of gender studies at the University of Helsinki, said Thursday.

Ms. Marin is the mother of a young daughter and previously She described herself as part of a "rainbow family." Her parents separated when she was a child, and she was raised by her mother and her mother's female partner. He has long advocated progressive policies aimed at supporting families of all kinds.

Ms. Pekonen said the reform will bring "a major change in attitudes,quot; and "will facilitate the lives of diverse families."

"The reform will support all types of families and guarantee equitable permits for children, regardless of the form of the family," he said.

The new government policy will apply to all parents, regardless of gender or if they are a child's biological or adoptive parents, and parents can transfer up to 69 days of their own permission to their partner.

But Finland is an atypical case, as it maintains that the changes are aimed at addressing gender inequality through the abolition of gender-specific benefits and the use of neutral language in legislation.

Many Finnish social media users applauded the government's efforts on social media after the measures were announced on Wednesday.

"I never felt that family vacations are also for us rainbow families," Minna Minkkinen wrote in a tweet, noting the fact that the new reforms provide better inclusion of same-sex couples. "I was touched."

Hanna Markkanen said it was a step towards a "Finland family friend."

"I am particularly pleased that multiple types of families are considered in the reform," he said.

Ms. Penttinen, a professor of gender studies, said that it had previously been "a financial challenge for parents to stay home as they still received higher salaries than women," but she hoped that this reform would lead to better job opportunities. for the women.

"In the long run, this could also change the perception of hiring women, as they have the same opportunity to advance in their careers and return to work," he said.

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