Parliament to extend additional ”daddy month” by a further two weeks

Relatively few fathers have taken up the option of paternity leave

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In accordance with the Government Programme of Matti Vanhanen’s (Centre) present Cabinet, the parental leave of Finnish fathers is to be extended from four weeks to six weeks from the end of next year. The proposal was passed in Parliament on Friday.
     
At present, fathers can take up to18 days of paternity leave after childbirth in order to look after their child at home together with the mother. During the leave, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland will pay the father a paternity allowance.
      The parental leave begins after the maternity leave that lasts for four months. Both parents can take the parental leave, during which the Social Insurance Institution of Finland pays parental allowance for 158 working days, which is a little over six months.
     
If the father uses the last two weeks or more of the parental allowance entitlement, his paternity leave is extended by two weeks. This period is referred to as the ”daddy month”. Next year this additional fortnight will be extended to four weeks.
      The effective date of the new law is somewhat complicated. It only applies to fathers whose children will be born at the turn of January and February or thereafter. The extended ”daddy month” will be effective only after the parental allowance period, in practice in October.
      The amendment to the statutory right will thus not apply to the family of Heli Karjalainen and Heikki Lahtinen, whose daughter was born two weeks ago. Their parental allowance will end in July. Nevertheless, the family has decided to care for the baby at home at least until she is one year old.
     
When a decision on the extension of the ”daddy month” was being debated in Parliament there was some pressure for an even more extensive reform.
      The Social Affairs and Health Committee, chaired by Juha Rehula (Centre) was considering whether or not the paternity allowance should be extended for parents with twins or triplets.
      In fact, the payment of the parental allowance is extended in cases of multiple-birth children.
      Another question discussed was whether a single-parent should be eligible for both the maternity and paternity leaves.
     
The decision on the ”daddy month” was made in 2003. It was then expected that one in five fathers would use that right. However, it has turned out that fewer than one in six fathers have actually taken up the ”daddy month” option.
      Heikki Lahtinen is surprised that so few fathers are tempted by the paternity leave. He himself plans to apply for one month’s child home care allowance in the autumn when the parental allowance period has ended and both the paternity leave and ”daddy month” have been enjoyed.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Government parties disagree on parental leave reform (12.2.2009)
  Half of fathers in corporate management positions skip parental leave (16.10.2007)

Links:
  Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela)
  Family-friendly Finland (This is Finland)
  Parliament of Finland

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