Why do we need an individualized parental leave? Social Democratic Women in Sweden.

Why do we need an individualized parental leave?

Social Democratic Women in Sweden

Swedish parental privilegesParental leave:

• Right to full time leave from work during your child´s first 1,5 years, with or without allowance.

• Right to full time leave from work during your child´s first 8 years, with allowance.

• Right to work part time (75 %), during your child´s first 8 years.

Parental allowance:

• Allowance is given for 480 days/child (16 months).

• 390 days is at your sickness benefit level (80% of your salary).

• 90 days is at guarantee level, (180 SEK per day).

• Parents gets 50% each, and can redistribute days between each other, except for 60 days that are reserved for each parent.


Why do we have parental allowance?

• In 1974 the Swedish parental leave was introduced as the most radical in the world – men could take more parental leave and women could work more.

• A two provider model replaced an earlier family provider model as a part of a bigger political welfare project.

• Men and women have equal responsibility to provide for the family. Rights and responsibilities are gender neutral and individually based.


Not as equal as it was supposed to be...

• The parental insurance is individually based. • But the rules allows parents to redistribute the

insurance between each other. • The result of the new model became a very

unequal distribution. • Women are expected to work more, but were

still expected to do the unpaid work at home.


• Initially women took almost all parental leave.• Men´s parental leave first increase in 1995,

when 30 days were reserved for each parent. 30 more days were reserved in 2002.

• In 2012 women took 76 % of all parental leave.



• Many couples choose an unequal distribution of parental leave.

• Their choices are influenced by unequal working conditions and old standards - unequal salaries, employer´s attitudes, society´s expectations, etc.



The parental leave system – a barrier instead of support for women

• The parental leave is not the support for women´s work it was once intended to be.

• Today women are gone from work longer periods, they work both paid and unpaid, affecting their health.

• Today it is harder for women to get full time work. Women are considered “risk labor”.



Individualizing means:Parental days can no longer be transferred. Parents are treated like individuals, supporting a two provider model.

Individualizing – for all families

• Individualized parental leave sets a new standard, for modern family politics in a society with many different types of families.

• It is important to see the needs of all types of family and parental constellations when developing a parental leave system.


Individualized parental leave– for women, men, children

and for society.



A reform for women• Strengthens women in the labor market -

women won´t have to be considered "risk-labor".

• Women get greater chance to work full-time, better salaries and career development.

• Shared responsibility for home and children reduces women's unpaid work. It is important for women's health!

• In the long term, it is crucial to increase women's pensions.


Cumulative wages per year, for persons 20 years and older (after 2010).

Men

Women

Age

Median incomes/1000 SEK


Share in full time work, before and after parental leave (2005 & 2008)

Woman, laborer Man, laborer Woman, officer Man, officer

A reform for men• Equal parental leave strengthens men´s role as

fathers, their presence and influence in the family.

• Fathers get a stronger position in negotiation, both at work and at home.

• Fathers who are prioritizing parental leave, get more support against “disloyal competition” from other men who only prioritize work.


A reform for children

• Children has the right to both parents – individualization promotes close contact between child and both parents early in life.

• The risk of separation is lower for couples who share parental leave.

• It also promotes continued close contact between child and both parents after a separation.

• The risk of child poverty decreases, when single mothers has a stronger contact with the labor market.


A reform for society


• A more equal labor force better uses women´s education and competence,

• The society costs of morbidity and poverty decreases.

• Both men and women can get more control over their own lives, and can participate in building and shaping society.

”As a next step towards a gender equal parental leave a third month will be reserved for each parent.”

Statement of Guvernement Policy 2014:

“The parental insurance will also be adjusted to better suit HBTQ families/all family constellations”.

Statement of Guvernement Policy 2014:

“Are there no other ways to promote equal parental leave?“

Other way that have been tried are information or economical incitement (for example the equality bonus)

It has had no effect. The only reform that has worked is reserved months for each parent.


“Shouldn´t we let the process take it´s time, instead of forcing it?”

It is almost 40 years since the parental leave system was introduced. Individualization was discussed already then.

The longer we wait, the bigger the risks of unequal life patterns being consolidated and amplified.


“Shouldn´t families have their freedom of choice?”

Equal life chances for men and women is also important. Today´s freedom of choice is an illusion.

Unequal life chances, women´s low wages, and men´s better career opportunities, all affect how we choose between work and parental leave.


“Should the government really control families through parental leave?”

The parental leave system already controls families – towards traditional gender roles and gender ineuality. All family politic is controlling. The question is how we control it, and what it promotes!


“Shouldn´t we consider families' economical losses?”

We must also consider the enormous loss of life income that affects all women, because of women's primary responsibility for the unpaid work.

Lifetime income for a man today is3.6 million higher than for a woman.


”Many mothers what to stay at home!”

Mothers can stay at home as long as they like.

The issue is how much of the parental leave should be financed with parental allowance.

Also, both women and men must be willing to change life patterns and privileges. Sweden still has one of the most generous parental leave systems in the world!


“But the nursing is necessary!”

The advice to mothers is, if possible, to nurse for 6 months and then add complementary food.

Sharing parental leave completely equal (8 months allowance each) works well for most parents.

Many mothers can also continue nursing part time (ex mornings, evenings and nights) long after they started working again.


“Individualization affects the children if fathers don´t stay at home.”

Yes, it is a problem that all fathers doesn´t use their paternity leave.

Change requires that we give men stronger rights as parents and also demand more.We must assume that fathers want to, and can take responsibility, to reach an equal society.


“What if the father is unsuitable?”

For a mother to have the right to all parental leave, she has to have sole custody.

If a parent is unsuitable, sole custody must be ensured legally. Ex because of neglect or violence against parent or child.

The issue is complex. If one parent is unsuitable, but still has custody, he/she can´t be forced to transfer his parental days.


Support for shared responsibility

Eva Bernhardt, Arbete och familj under 2000-talet. Stockholms universitet

What does the chart show us? A majority of both men and women does not agree, that the man should be the main family provider. Men has slightly more traditional attitudes, 80% of the men and 90% of the women, does not agree at all. A little less than 10% of all men an 5% of the women agrees fully or partially.

Diagram 6.7 The man is mainly responsible for providing for the family

Don´t agree at all, 1 Agrees totally, 5

Support for shared parental leave

Eva Bernhardt, Arbete och familj under 2000-talet. Stockholms universitet

Diagram 6.5 Parents should share parental leave equal (percent)

What does the chart show us?Men are slightly more positive than women to the statement that parents should share parental leave equal (60% of the men and 55% of the women). About 20% of the respondents don´t agree (2) or don´t agree at all (1)

Don´t agree at all, 1 Agrees totally, 5

0

10

20

30

40

Inte alls 0-2 mån 3-5 mån 6 mån -mer än 8

mån

Spelaringen roll

Vet inte

16

14

37

28

13

Hur länge anser du att det är lämpligt att män är föräldralediga?

LO, Novus Opinion, Joa Bergold 2012

How long parental leave do you think men should have?

None 0-2mth 3-5mth 6mth Don´t Don’t or more matter know

joaber

Jämför med hur uttaget ser ut för män.Hur många tar ut inte alls, 0-2, 3-5, 6 mån och mer

Why do we need an individualized parental leave? Social Democratic Women in Sweden.

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