Finland: Mothers and fathers have equal rights to parental leave

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In Finland, mothers and fathers can now spend more time with their offspring (icon image)

Photo: d3sign/Getty Images

Finland wants to create more equality with a reform of parental leave.

Mothers and fathers of newborns now have the same right to parental leave in the EU member state: if there are two parents, each is granted 160 days of parental leave.

However, they can give up to 63 of their days to someone else.

According to the government, the reform aims to “make it easier to combine work and family life and to promote a more balanced distribution of care and upbringing responsibilities between the sexes”.

»The same entitlement to parental allowance«

In addition, it should take better account of different family forms, as the government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced.

"All parents who have custody of their child have the same right to parental allowance." This applies regardless of the gender of the parents - and whether they are biological or adoptive parents.

Previously, mothers in Finland could apply for seven months of parental leave, but men only two.

According to previous estimates, the implementation of the reform will cost around 100 million euros.

flg/dpa