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THERE ARE FEW silver linings to be found in the most savage recession in modern times, but if we’re creative about it we might be able to wring something golden from the misery for Irish families.
One such way would be to take the opportunity to give fathers the chance to spend more time with their children by introducing a comprehensive reform of parental leave in Ireland.
Living in Sweden, I was lucky enough to spend a total of ten months at home with my two daughters, and I can safely say it was the best thing I’ve ever done. During that time I received around 90 per cent of my usual salary (80 per cent from the state, topped up by 10 per cent by my employer).
Under current circumstances there is no way that the Irish government or businesses could afford to mirror the generous Swedish system and give parents 480 days to split between them.
But what could be offered to fathers is the opportunity to take 60 or 90 days parental leave, to be replaced at work by someone on the live register. The obvious benefits to families are twofold – more men would experience what it is like to spend more time with their children, developing strong bonds with them and taking a more active role in the formative years of their children’s lives. For other families it would mean the chance for someone to get back into the workplace, even temporarily, to show what they can do and keep their skills sharp.
How payment is handled is a matter for government, employers and employees to work out, but there are a few obvious possibilities. The person on parental leave could have their salary reduced somewhat, with the difference added to the unemployment benefit paid to the person who would be replacing them.
I got my first real break in the Swedish job market this way
Any shortfall in income for the person on parental leave would be offset to some extent by a reduction in childcare costs during the period, thus rendering an effect that is close to neutral as possible on the household budget.
The effect for the unemployed person taking up the temporary role should not be underestimated either – in fact, I got my first real break in the Swedish job market when I did maternity cover for a girl having her first baby.
When given the chance, I worked as hard as I could to show what I could do, and when she returned I was kept on too – but if she had never had children I never would have had that chance. There would doubtless be a disruptive effect on businesses in the beginning as they sought to deal with a new system; there are key employees that are essential to the running of many organisations. But that too is a sign of weakness, and businesses need to learn to cope and become more resilient in case that person should become ill or find a new job.
Ultimately it is the benefit to the child that is most important., and the fact that they have a right to both parents. For the most part, children love their parents unconditionally, if not always equally. Such a reform of the system would represent the first step in redressing that imbalance.
This article first appeared on Philip’s blog, Ourmaninstockholm: Irishman’s reflections from Sweden.
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Great article, it sickens me that I had to use my own holidays when my son was born recently.
I second that Brian. I’m just back to work after taking two weeks annual leave to spend time with my 2 week old daughter. It’s a disgrace that this is the only option available if you want to spend valuable time bonding with your kids. Congrats on your baby son btw!!
Will the self employed get the same benefits.
Great article Philip. About time us fathers got our knickers in a twist about this. We just need a voice in Ireland to represent us. Pity you are in Sweden and that most male politicians lack the gumption to tackle such a thorny issue. That said, it could win a seat for any party or an independent.
There was a study done recently on Swedish fathers and their paternity leave. It found that fathers in Sweden disproportionately scheduled their paternity leave to co-incide with the stag hunting season and the ice hockey season.
Funny but true !
Well these Swedish kids need these skills.
Well if a man is going to bond with his child, then an activity like that would help!
interesting but flawed, where are hou going to find the people to replace them with, guards doctors nurses solicitors etc
My wife is just coming to the end of her maternity leave and as we have twins, the best option for us at the moment is for me to take unpaid leave for three months. Not ideal to be taking the hit on my salary but not a huge difference between that and childcare costs. There should definitely be some sort of paid/part paid leave for dads(other than the measly three days we are currently entitled to)
I have to add, I’m really looking forward to getting to spend the time with my two boys.
@Niall, as far as I’m aware we’re not even entitled to three days. It’s an ante-natal class and that’s your lot, unless force majeure is involved (you could plausibly argue that you have to attend the bedside of your partner during and immediately after the birth). Naturally *most* employers accommodate new fathers with a few days, but that’s entirely discretionary.
Would it be possible for another system to be put in place, say allowing maternity leave to be split between parents? Say mother takes 3 months, and father take the other 3 months? I don’t really know but I always thought that would be an easy option in the short option to bring in paternity leave.
Flexible mat leave would be fantastic. It should happen! I’m going to ask my local TD’s.
Good article, I also had to use holiday’s when my kids were born. But your not really going to save on childcare In this first 60-90 days if it is your first child. If you have another child in childcare, fair enough, but all the extra’s you spend on food and essentials plus if there are more people in the house for longer hours of the day won’t you be driving up food and energy costs??
Don’t get me wrong, all for the idea, but as with maternity leave, very few employers will opt to contribute in the current climate. They may be more inclined to offer the extra few bob to the temp, meaning the states payout for the man would have to be a large percentage of their income. This added to the €260 a week they are already paying into the house seems unlikely from this govt.
This article is misleading. Refers to the generous Swedish system without saying how the system is funded. The nordic countries have systems such as this because of the nordic tax model with very high taxes funding it’s welfare state. It’s not generosity, you get what you pay for.
Maureen,
I would suggest that it is ‘Scandanavian’ countries that follow this model rather than ‘Nordic’.
Iceland Greenland and Finland would have a different approach
Maureen, Yes, both parents getting it at the same time would be more expensive. A cost neutral way of having dads also do some childcare would be to make the existing maternity leave transferrable. More women than men are employed at the moment due to the building trade collapse. In some situations it would make more sense for the woman to go back to work when somewhat recovered, and the man to get the 140 euro a week maternity leave, rather than the woman to reduce to 140 a week and leave the man on the dole.
And before someone tells me maternity is from ‘mater’ meaning mother, yes I know, but the name can be changed.
@ DubinNaas nordic countries refers to all of the countries you listed and all of them have high taxes to help fund their welfare states. @ Pwurple, the only point I wanted to make about cost is that it is an incomplete article for the journalist to just refer to the generous swedish system and not put that into the context by also refering to the very high taxes they pay
Thanks for the feedback.
@Paddy- Unemployement doesn’t just affect the low-paid, unskilled part of the workforce. There are doctors leaving Ireland every week to find work abroad. Nor are those labour markets closed shops or entirely inflexible – Gardaí move around the country, as do solicitors and nurses.
@Maureen – how is the article misleading? Probably the only thing most people could tell you with any certainty about Scandinavia is that taxes are high.
Given that the article is about how such a system could be funded/implemented in Ireland, how it is done in Sweden is somewhat irrelevant – nevertheless, I pointed out neither Irish government nor business could afford to mirror it at this point:
“Under current circumstances there is no way that the Irish government or businesses could afford to mirror the generous Swedish system and give parents 480 days to split between them.”
I then made a suggestion as to how it could be funded in Ireland – what is so misleading about all that?
It’s worth pointing out too that the difference in taxation rates (though notoriously difficult to compare, this comparison is based on OECD figures) in Ireland (21.8%) and Sweden (24.7%) is not that huge. Factor in the cost of childcare and healthcare in Ireland and for families, that differential quickly disappears.
Maureen is entirely right though – you get what you pay for, and such a system cannot be funded by working families alone. All of society needs to buy into the idea that this is beneficial.
Which is why it’s nice to be having this discussion at long last. =)
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