Swedish grandparents became eligible for paid parental leave this week after the country passed a groundbreaking new law extending childcare benefits beyond a child’s immediate family.
The change, which came into effect on Monday, allows parents to transfer some of their parental leave days to other caregivers, cementing Sweden’s reputation as a global trendsetter in progressive parental leave policies.
According to the Swedish government, the law allows single parents to transfer up to 90 days of paid leave to other caregivers and for a couple to transfer up to 45 days. Social Insurance Agency.
The law was approved last December by the Riksdag, the 349-seat Swedish parliament.
Leo Gullbring, a freelance copywriter from Lund, Sweden, who is expecting his second grandchild in August, said he is looking forward to helping his son with childcare in the nearby city of Malmö.
When asked what he thought of the new law, Mr Gullbring called it “great” and praised Sweden’s already abundant social security system for becoming “even better”.
This isn’t the first time Sweden has offered groundbreaking social services. Swedish citizens pay some of the highest taxes in the world, but in return receive state-funded health care, free education through university, and generous unemployment benefits.
The Scandinavian country with more than 10 million inhabitants also has one of the most extensive parenting organizations. leave laws and provides 480 days of paid leave per child, divided between the parents. During the child’s first year, parents can take 30 days of that leave together.
The Swedish guidelines are in stark contrast to those of the United States, which is one of the few Western countries that does not guarantee paid maternity or parental leave.
Only federal employees and employees in a handful of U.S. states receive legally protectparental leave, making it an exception in many wealthy countries.
“The Nordic countries have very generous policies by nature, but they are becoming more generous and flexible, while we seem to be falling further and further behind,” said Richard Petts, a professor of sociology at Ball State University and an expert on parental leave.
While parental leave policies are seen as the ‘gold standard’ in countries such as Sweden, such generosity is ‘not realistic for the United States’ globally due to resistance to higher tax levels, Professor Petts said.
Research has shown that maternity and parental leave programs tend to improve the health of families after birth, which benefits both the birthing parent and the baby in the long run.
Professor Petts said Sweden’s new, more generous guidelines are likely to improve work-life balance in the country, especially for single parents.
The new law, he said, “recognizes the increasing complexity of balancing work and family.”
Christina Anderson reported from Stockholm, Sweden.
