Grandparents in Sweden became eligible to receive paid parental leave this week, as the country passed a new law aimed at extending childcare benefits beyond a child’s immediate family.
Under the change, which takes effect on Monday, parents will be able to transfer some of their parental leave days to other caregivers, cementing Sweden’s reputation as a global trend-setter for progressive parental leave policies.
According to the Swedish government, the law gives single parents the right to transfer up to 90 days of paid leave to other caregivers, and parenting couples the right to transfer up to 45 days of paid leave. Social Insurance Agency,
The law was approved by Sweden's 349-seat parliament, the Riksdag, last December.
Leo Gulbring, a 65-year-old freelance copywriter living in Lund, Sweden, who is expecting his second grandchild in August, said he wanted to volunteer to help care for his son in the nearby city of Malmo.
When asked what he thought of the new law, Mr Gulbring described it as “great” and praised Sweden’s already rich welfare system, saying it had become “even better”.
This isn't Sweden's first move toward unprecedented social services. Swedish citizens pay some of the highest taxes in the world, but in return they get state-funded healthcare, free education through college, and generous unemployment benefits.
With a population of over 10 million, this Nordic country also has some of the most extensive patrimony. Holiday Laws and provides 480 days of paid leave for each child, which is distributed between the parents. During the child's first year, parents can take 30 days of leave together.
Sweden's guidelines stand in stark contrast to those of the United States, which is one of a handful of Western countries that adopt such guidelines. does not give a guarantee Any paid maternity or parental leave.
Only federal employees and workers in a handful of U.S. states are offered this facility. Legally protectedThe practice of taking parental leave has been abolished, making it an outlier among many wealthy countries.
“The Nordic countries have had very liberal policies from the beginning; they've been getting more liberal and more flexible, and we seem to be constantly falling behind,” said Richard Petts, a sociology professor at Ball State University and an expert on parental leave.
Professor Petts said that although parental leave policies in countries such as Sweden are seen as the “gold standard” around the world, such generosity is “not realistic for the United States” because of resistance to high levels of taxation.
Research Studies have shown that maternity and parental leave programs increase healthy outcomes for families after birth, benefiting both birth parents and babies in the long term.
Professor Petts said Sweden's new, more detailed guidelines will improve the country's work-life balance, especially for single parents.
He said the new law “recognizes the increasing complexities of balancing work and family.”
Christina Andersson contributed reporting from Stockholm, Sweden.
