In Sweden, Men Can Have It All

[jason]

SPOLAND, SWEDEN — Mikael Karlsson owns a snowmobile, two hunting dogs and five guns. In his spare time, this soldier-turned-game warden shoots moose and trades potty-training tips with other fathers. Cradling 2-month-old Siri in his arms, he can’t imagine not taking baby leave. “Everyone does.”

From trendy central Stockholm to this village in the rugged forest south of the Arctic Circle, 85 percent of Swedish fathers take parental leave. Those who don’t face questions from family, friends and colleagues. As other countries still tinker with maternity leave and women’s rights, Sweden may be a glimpse of the future.

In this land of Viking lore, men are at the heart of the gender-equality debate. The ponytailed center-right finance minister calls himself a feminist, ads for cleaning products rarely feature women as homemakers, and preschools vet books for gender stereotypes in animal characters. For nearly four decades, governments of all political hues have legislated to give women equal rights at work — and men equal rights at home.

Swedish mothers still take more time off with children — almost four times as much. And some who thought they wanted their men to help raise baby now find themselves coveting more time at home.

more The Female Factor - In Sweden, Men Can Have It All - NYTimes.com

 

[Jaxon]

Well that's a good thing I suppose. It's not really fair to put all the burden on the mothers when the fathers seem more than willing to help out.

 

[Jarred]

Yup, it's true. I lived in Sweden for a time and the friends I made there were young couples with children. The men were always right on top of things with the kids as well as household chores. I don't think I've ever seen such well balanced families as I did there.

 

[Alex]

I wish I lived in Sweden then! I would love to take a leave to be with my child when born. I doubt I could talk the wife into moving though!

 

[Ramblin' Ron]

That is so cool! I wish we had this here in the US. I would have loved to have taken off when our children were born. It's so nice to be able to actually talk about children's issues and such here. I just think we're ahead of our times.

 

[Kyron]

I just Googled for other maternity and paternity leaves worldwide. Some of the main country's are listed here:

Healthcare Around The World: How Do We Stack Up? - An Everyday Health Special Feature

Looks pretty good. I think in this respect the US is WAYYYYYYYY behind the times.

 

[Ken]

Wow what interesting articles you both have! I also believe the US is way behind the times when in comes to health care and maternity/paternity leave. I wish we would come ahead from the dark ages. I would also have loved to be with my children in the first few months of life without working 60 hours a week, as I missed a lot!

 

[sid]

This is a very inspiring article, and I mean absolutely inspiring. The value of fatherhood is preserved in the family in Sweden, and I pray in the rest of the world as well. That's a very good thing for kids who are growing up. The statistics (in the US) that go against fatherless homes are simply so shocking that it's no longer an option.

 

[Zimmer]

I don't know, women usually can take better care of the children. I'm not trying to be a prick about it, but there is a reasons men have more muscular build and there brain can only focus on one task, that's what benefited the hunter. While women are more slender and there brain can multitask which are benefits for somebody who is a homemaker.