Finland: fathers to have same parental leave entitlement as mothers

On Wednesday 5 February, Finland’s minister for health and social affairs Aino-Kaisa Pekonen announced that fathers will be entitled to the same level of parental leave as mothers. She told the press that this “radical reform” seeks both to improve gender equality and boost the country’s birth rate, which is currently low. The change, which is currently only an announcement, will see each parent granted 6.6 months of leave (164 days) with partial compensation paid by social security. Currently maternity leave is 4.2 months and paternity leave is 2.2 months. Furthermore, pregnant women will be entitled to an additional month of leave prior to the birth of their child. Of the 164 days of leave, 69 may be transferred from one parent to another.