Nordic experiences with parental leave and its impact on equality between women and men

• Main Author: Rós Valdimarsdóttir, Fríða
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Copenhagen : Nordic Council of Ministers 2006
• Subjects: tasa-arvo; Ligestilling; Jafnrétti; Likestilling; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:norden:org:diva-1494

There is no doubt that the introduction of paternity leave in the Nordic countries represented a huge step forward for gender equality. From a gender equality standpoint, the introduction of paternity leave is a positive development, and it is clear that Nordic authorities have great ambitions in this area - judging by the multitude of factors that have been taken into consideration when writing the laws. The authorities have done an outstanding job and in many cases invested large amounts of money to further this challenging project. In a nutshell, paternity leave can help calibrate the position of women and men in the home and the labor market. As opposed to the way it is often characterized, gender equality is really about balance, and it is for that reason that we can claim that paternity leave represents a huge step on the road toward a more gender-equal society. This report examines the development of laws on parental leave and offers comparisons of the experiences derived from the differing laws of the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The report is based on information from various individuals as well as book and article sources on the subject.