Northern light
I spend some time in Sweden and it has been interesting for me to compare British and Swedish family policy. Sweden has a well-developed social welfare system, which makes it easier for parents to combine work and family. However the responsibility of rearing children is still that of the parents not of the state and the traditional family still thrives. Whether couples choose to marry or to enter into a partnership is a private decision, the state of marriage may have less importance placed on it, but registered cohabitation partnerships providing a very similar status has taken its place. Men and women are treated as individuals and have equal rights regardless of gender or marital status.
Family policy is an important element of politics in Sweden, partly because it is intertwined with labour market policy. To participate in the labour market and to be able to support oneself is considered a basic right for all individuals.
Maternity leave is called parental leave and either parent can opt to take the entitlement. Currently parental leave is 16 months, with 8 months intended for the mother and 8 months intended for the father. Out of these 2 months are designated for the mother and 2 months for the father. These months are forfeited if not taken by the designated parent. In reality, parental leave is utilized more by the mother than the father, the father's share is increasing, albeit slowly. In order to address the imbalance, a new reform was introduced in 2008, comprising of a gender equality bonus which will give an extra economic bonus to those who share the leave more equally. Without the involvement of the government the changes towards equality would take place much more slowly.
As far as parental responsibility, men and women are seen to have shared responsibility for their economy and their children. Essentially this means that fathers should take a greater part of child responsibility by using more parental leave. This is related to childrens' rights in having access to both parents. It is also related to gender equality in that fathers' leave facilitates women's return to work. The parental leave policy is related to the goals of increased employment levels, gender equality and children's rights. The goal is for both parent to have an equally good relationship with their children as well as both having stimulating jobs at the same time as keeping stress levels under control. Statistically couples who live in an equal relationship with their partner separate or divorce less frequently than those who have an unequal relationship. The family structure in Sweden is still strong with 72% of all children under 18 living with both their parents. There is a prohibition against discrimination, which includes employers treating unfairly any employee or job applicant who is, has been or will be on parental leave.
Sweden is a country with a relatively high degree of gender equality and individual economic independence, but life is not perfect, there is still some way to go!