Finns don’t mind, because the defense chief will be on paternity leave
HELSINKI (AP) – In the midst of the biggest regional security crisis in decades, as Finland waits to join NATO, the Minister of Defense…
HELSINKI (AP) – The Minister of Defense has decided to take almost two months of parental leave from his job in the midst of the biggest regional security crisis in decades while waiting for Finland to join NATO.
And Finns don’t blink an eye. The same Nordic neighbors who are used to family-oriented social policy and work-life balance.
Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen, a 48-year-old father of two, makes a confusing argument for parental leave starting January 6 to devote himself mainly to his 6-month-old son.
“Children only stay small for a while, and I want to remember it in ways other than photos,” Kaikkonen tweeted and assured that Finland’s security “will be in good hands.”
Later, he told STT that “even though ministerial duties are very important to me, at some point you have to be able to put the family first.”
Five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – have prioritized gender equality in their policies, and that includes encouraging fathers to spend more time with their children.
In Sweden, both parents get a combined 480 days of parental leave per child, and each parent can use half – 240 days – of these days, which are also transferable. If there are more than one child, 180 additional days are granted for each additional child.
In September, a gender-neutral parental leave system was introduced in Finland, which allows both parents to take 160 days of paid leave and transfer a certain number of days between them.
Top male politicians in the Nordic countries have used their paternity leave to some extent, but it is not yet a common practice.
In Denmark, Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen began a two-month paternity leave in late 2020, saying his son “has mostly seen his father on TV”. Others in Denmark who do so are former immigration ministers Mattias Tesfaye and culture ministers Joy Mogensen.
In Finland, the former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen, a pioneer in combining politics and fatherhood, went on paternity leave in the distant 1998, albeit for a much shorter period. The now 81-year-old Lipponen received a lot of positive attention in the international media for his family arrangements.
In addition to the war in Ukraine and the rumblings of neighboring Russia, the transfer of Finland’s defense minister also comes at a politically sensitive time: Finland is awaiting parliamentary elections at the beginning of April, and its NATO membership is in limbo mainly due to the opposition of alliance member Turkey – which claims. Finland’s and NATO’s neighboring candidate Sweden must first address its concerns about the alleged activities of Kurdish militants in these two countries.
The parliaments of Turkey and Hungary have not yet ratified the applications of Finland and Sweden. 28 other NATO countries have already done so.
Finland’s leading newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, said in an editorial that the country would likely join NATO only after the new government takes office, and welcomed Kaikkonen’s leave, saying it contained a “message to society”.
“Observers outside of Finland may not only be surprised, but also sympathize with the fact that the Minister of Defense can take paternity leave right now. At least it shows that there is no panic in Finland,” Helsingin Sanomat said.
Emilia Kangas, a researcher on equality, work and family issues at Seinajoki University of Applied Sciences, said that in the last decade in Finland, there has been a significant change both in the corporate world and in politics in attitudes towards favoring the father and equal parenting. Mum.
Kaikonen’s paternity leave “says a lot about our (Nordic) values and welfare society,” Kangas said.
Paternity leave has become more common in the Nordic business world.
“I encourage everyone to try to take a vacation when the children are small,” says Antti Hakkarainen, financial consultant KPMG Advisory Services in Helsinki. The father of three sons, he took an eight-month leave in 2007.
“That time has been one of the highlights of my life so far,” he said.
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Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
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