One would mostly associate a mother as being the one who spends more time with the children and has a bigger hand in nurturing and raising them. However, Finland has become the first country where fathers do most of the childcare.
Finland has officially become the first country in the developed world where fathers spend more time than mothers with their school-age kids.
While mothers in Finland get about 4 months of paid leave after the birth of a child, fathers are offered 9 weeks. After this period, one parent can receive €450 monthly while staying at home with the child. It is also said that a mother or father can take six months leave for each child, however, according to the Finnish government, only 20% of fathers are using their paternal leave allowance. Hence, the government runs a campaign to encourage more fathers to use their paternal leave allowance.
The minister responsible for gender equality, Annika Saarikko said, “Parents and employers do not always fully recognise that the six-month parental leave can be used by fathers. Yet, every employer has the obligation to promote equality persistently and systematically. It is time to show the future generations that daddies do take care of their children and are willing and able to do this.”
In this year's Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, Finland was ranked as the 3rd most gender-equal country in the world.
