Sweden It is a country of reference in terms of the model of work and family reconciliation, allowing parents to spend the first years of life with their children thanks to grants granted by the government.
But recently it has come to light a story that makes a little noise within the model, at least it has done to me. Has been created Day nurseries in Sweden (Some already had them, but lately they have proliferated) where other people take care of the children while their parents go to work during the night. Of course, it is an outlet for parents who have no one to leave their children with, but Are they the solution?
Sweden, a reconciliation model
Sweden is one of the best countries to have children thanks to its social policies, designed to promote equality between father and mother and facilitate work and family reconciliation.
In fact, it has the longest maternity and paternity leave in Europe, with 480 days (16 months) shared between father and mother receiving 80% up to 390 days. The father has the obligation to take at least 60 days + 10 working days from birth.
Sweden's day nurseries
They are intended as a solution for parents who work at night. It is believed that due to the crisis there are jobs at unusual times that are increasingly requested. Therefore, more and more municipalities in Sweden offer nurseries with night and weekend services. Currently, more than five thousand children attend.
On the other hand, there is certain pressure on women to go to work. Last year, more than 78% of women with children under 7 years went to work, a fairly high percentage.
The night nurseries are accessibleAnyone can request them, both couples and single-parent families, always proving that they have a night-time job.
As the rest of the child care services are subsidized by the State, and parents only pay up to 3% of their salary, or a maximum of $ 197 per month in the case of those who earn the most.
Are they the solution?
I understand that they are a good alternative for parents who must go to work at night and cannot take care of their children. And it's fine that there are for those who really they have no choice. But I don't see a solution in them, nor do I see her having to leave a 4-month-old baby in a nursery because the mother must go to work.
According to the Swedish Minister of Gender Equality, Maria Arnholm:
"Sweden was one of the first countries to guarantee an increase in female work, and to make that possible, we built daycare centers. We believe it is important for families to combine paternity with work, and that not only includes those who work at 9: 00 to 5:00 but also those who do it after regular hours. "
The families are delighted. "It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, public nurseries make it possible for everyone to have the opportunity to work", point.
In the night nurseries there are qualified people who take care of them, make them sleep and in the morning they prepare breakfast and take them to the day care center they normally go to.
Ok, take care of them. But as a mother I know how difficult the nights are for the little ones. Waking up, crying, boogers, nightmares, stepping on, sleeping together. My soul breaks from thinking about leaving my daughters in the care of others at night, because there are times when you only need your parents, like the time of the story, the kiss of good night, or when they go to our bed looking for heat.
Maybe I am very idealistic, and I support them because I understand that night nurseries will be necessary for many families, and they will be delighted to have them given the situation they are in.
But I think the real solution would be in allow these mothers and fathers access to day jobs and prevent them from separating from their children at night.
Nor did Madeleine Wallin, president of the European Federation of Parents, agree with the model. She took three of her five children to public daycare centers, before deciding that she would take care of the others herself. She says she was forced to take her children to daycare because of the social stigma that exists against women who decide to stay at home.
"Spending hours and hours away from parents is very stressful for children. You only have to see body language when you take them to preschool. Sweden is an expensive country, so the financial aspect was very difficult when I decided to leave work, but I did it because I was tired of hearing that it was better to leave them with other people. "
What do you think about night nurseries?
