Compass Gender: Finland Announces Gender Neutral Family Leave

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Finnish government passed a new family leave program that equalizes the rights of parents on February 5. Under the new law, both parents will be entitled to seven months of paid leave post-childbirth with the ability to transfer up to 69 days from one parent to the other. In addition, single parents are eligible to use both seven month paid leave periods, and the law does not discriminate between heterosexual and homosexual partners. 

The Finnish government, led by Prime Minister Sanna Marin, anticipates that the policy will go into effect starting in the fall of 2021. While similar legislation has been proposed in the past, it took a new liberal coalition of the five party leaders, all of whom are female, to make the law a reality. In an official statement, Minister of Social Affairs and Health Aino-Kaisa Pekonen described the reform as “the Government’s investment in the future of children and the wellbeing of families.” 

Marin’s progressive government has already drawn praise for its progressive policies, including the new parental leave law. Finnish citizens have voiced their excitement about the direction in which Finland is moving under female leadership, specifically noting the new law’s inclusion of all sexualities. 

“This might also change perception on hiring women as they have equal opportunity to advance their careers and return to work,” said Elina Penitten, Professor of Gender Studies at the University of Helsinki. Given that both parents, at least on a legal level, now run the same risk to employers of taking paid family leave, one fewer factor now distinguishes female job applicants from their male counterparts, which may increase wage and workplace equality. 

The policy, though generous, does not measure up to that of neighboring Sweden, which provides 240 days of paid leave to each parent. Nonetheless, the reform solidifies the country’s standing as a leader with regard to gender equality in legislation. Though Finland already ranks as the sixth-best country in the world for women to live in, the new policy demonstrates that Marin’s female-led government is willing to push the envelope on issues of gender equality.