Finland ups paternity leave to seven months

World’s youngest prime minister’s first major policy is to let new fathers enjoy same time off as mothers

HAVING warned that men do not spend enough time with their children, Finland’s new prime minister has announced the first major policy of her female-dominated government – granting new fathers the same amount of parental leave as mothers.

Sanna Marin, the world’s youngest serving prime minister at 34, will triple the amount of paternity leave to nearly seven months, equal in length to maternity leave. Currently, only a quarter of men in Finland use their full allowance.

It marks the latest bold, progressive step from a coalition government of five female party leaders, and is likely to influence the debate on paternity leave in Britain, where only two weeks is granted.

“The reform will support all kinds of families and ensure equal leaves for children regardless of the form of the family,” said Anna-kaisa Pekonen, Finland’s social affairs minister, as the policy was unveiled.

It comes after Ms Marin warned that

“too few fathers are spending time with their children when they are very young” and called for equality in the parental leave system.

She added: “I think it’s very good for the men that they can build trusting and good relationships with their children. We all have to fight each and every day for equality, for a better life.”

The sweeping reforms are a major pillar in Ms Marin’s new government, which came to power last December and hopes to give more support to “diverse families”.

Ms Marin herself was raised in a same-sex household by her mother and her female partner after her parents split. She has a two-year-old daughter with her husband, with whom she divided her maternity leave.

Under the reform, set to cost around €100 million (£85 million), both parents would receive an equal quota of 164 daily allowance days and could transfer a maximum of 69 days to the other parent. Parents will be able to take their leave at separate times, meaning a family can maintain its usual income for 14 months, up from the current 11 and a half months.

A single parent would be eligible to twice the paid leave available to individuals in a two-parent household.

In addition, a separate pregnancy allowance would also entitle women to a month of paid pregnancy leave before their due date.

The move was welcomed by Stella Creasy, a Labour MP and family campaigner. “Paternity leave is good for kids, good for dads and good for equality because it ends the belief that women of child-bearing age are a risk to employ,” she said.

Ms Marin’s coalition government consists of five parties, whose leaders are all female and place gender equality high on their agenda.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos last month, she called for governments and companies to do more to ensure women were treated fairly.

A previous centre-right Finnish government attempted to reform parental leave in 2018 but eventually rejected the idea as too costly.

Neighbouring Sweden has Europe’s most generous system of parental leave with 240 days each after a baby’s birth.

Portugal offers 120 days paid at 100 per cent of salary and Japan insists on 30 weeks.