Helsinki (06.01.2002 - Juhani Artto) The Finnish Parliament is soon to examine a proposal to extend paternity leave by seven weekdays. Paternity leave is currently 18 weekdays. The proposal is part of a reform package negotiated by Finland's labour market organisations. However the organisations rejected demands for longer paternity leave as too expensive.

About 60 per cent of fathers exercise the right to 18 weekdays of paternal leave, while almost all mothers take the 105 weekdays of maternity leave to which they are entitled. The gender gap is wider for parental leave, which is currently 158 weekdays and may be taken either by the father or the mother or shared between them. Only three per cent of men exercise this right. With some 57,000 births in Finland annually, this means that about 1,700 fathers take parental leave.

There are many reasons for this low participation rate by men in the parental leave system. Among the most important are:

• the tradition leaving parental responsibility for baby care mainly to mothers,
• the family income question, with women earning less than 80 per cent of men's income on average
• and the tendency, based on conservative thinking, to give priority to men in appointments at work that minimise the risk of not being promoted in due order.

This low participation by fathers is considered to be a problem in a society that widely approves and emphasises both gender equality and the benefits of closer relationships between fathers and their children.

As a result more reforms are under way, and it is likely that by early 2003 parents will get the option of using their parental leave to shorten the working week. Experts believe that this new alternative will increase the willingness of men to share parental leave with their partners. The Finnish Ministry for Social Affairs and Health expects about one thousand families to take up this part-time option when it becomes available. Several thousand families are expected to adopt it later.

One weak point in the part-time option will be the condition that the employer will also have to agree on its use in each individual case.

The largest trade union confederations in Finland, SAK, welcomes the reform proposals as a modest advance. The organisation considers it better to implement them now, rather than waiting for agreement on a more far-reaching reform.

The current reform includes certain other details seeking a more equitable position for fathers in special situations. Men who adopt children will enjoy the same paternity and parental rights as other fathers and the parents of twins and triplets will be entitled to extended parental leave. Special rules will apply to the parents of children borne by surrogate mothers.

Social allowances and benefits for maternity, paternity and child care are linked to the corresponding rights to leave. These allowances and benefits are not especially generous by comparison with the increased expenses of a larger family, and it is common that a new child in the family results in a tighter family budget.

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