MANDATORY PARENTAL LEAVE WOULD HELP FAMILY RECONCILIATION

Many times, when it comes to conciliation, it seems that women are the only ones involved in the matter. I don't know how such a welcome would have a measure like this in many countries, but there are experts who ensure that mandatory parental leave helps family and work conciliation.

This seems to be confirmed by the case of other countries that always set themselves as an example of social welfare, conciliation and maternity / paternity assistance and some experts who know very well how some measures that have contributed to these achievements work.

Anita Nyberg It can be said that she is an expert in matters of gender equality and work and family conciliation, and believes that it is possible to abandon the old model of burdening women with the full weight of household chores and sharing it equally between the couple.

She is a professor of gender perspective at work and in economics at the Center for Gender Studies of the University of Stockholm (Sweden), chaired a government committee on the distribution of economic power between men and women and is part of the European Network of Employment Experts and Gender Equality Issues.

And what would be the best way to involve parents in housework and childcare? According to her, approve a mandatory parental leave that cannot be transferred to mothers.

This, said so, the first thing that it conveys to me is that it clashes with claims that a good part of society makes and that I personally consider necessary, regarding the duration of the mother's leave of absence at least the minimum time that WHO recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed, six months.

If from there they wanted to "subtract" mandatory permits for the father, we would be losing ground. But and if that compulsory permit were simultaneous or subsequent to the duration of the mother's leave of absence?

Nordic countries and mandatory parental leave

According to Nyberg, the experience in Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden On the other hand, compulsory parental leave has been very positive, not only in relation to the distribution of tasks at home, but also in regard to the social consideration of this fact. That is, previously, that a father stayed at home taking care of household chores, he was worse seen (a negative perception absent in the case of women).

Of course, this measure is accompanied by other grants for maternity and paternity that seem to contribute to the "welfare society" and gender equality, such as childcare benefits or a good network of state nurseries.

In short, this could be one of the commandments of conciliation, even if everything is somewhat distant and idealized and these premises are not equally important for all of us who are involved in the effort to reconcile (do parents want the same, that the mothers, the entrepreneurs, the politicians ...).

It is probably men, fathers (I do not say that many do not or wish to do so), who have to give a boost to this of equality in many aspects related to household chores and parenting, in everything that can be equal to us.

Of course, even with a permit like the one mentioned above, certain prejudices about what are women and women's things should be overcome. calzonazos, but it seems that these achievements have been acquired over time in the countries mentioned above.

I believe that, after (or combined with) the minimum six months that the woman should be able to be with her child with a leave, many of them, of them and especially the children would appreciate a mandatory parental leave like that of any of these countries.