Sweden is the first in the world to allow grandparents to take paid parental leave

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Sweden is the first in the world to allow grandparents to take paid parental leave

Parents in the Scandinavian kingdom can transfer their maternity and paternity leave to those who are not legal representatives, i.e. to family members, most often to grandparents, who have the right to take leave in the amount of 80 percent of their salary. And that with effect from the first of October this year.

The rules approved last July, and now fine-tuned, allow pensioners, for example, to take parental leave, in which case the compensation depends on the amount of the pension. While receiving the parental allowance, the recipient may not look for a job or study.

Parents can thus use up to 45 days of their maternity or paternity leave, single mothers up to 90 days.

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The number of so-called of double days, i.e. days when both can take parental leave together, has increased from 30 to 60. Couples can now use these double days up to 15 months of the child’s age, while the previous limit was twelve months.

The only condition remains that the person in question has previously taken out insurance for parental allowance, which most people in Sweden have done.

Satisfaction on both sides

“These changes give parents the opportunity to shape their own lives while promoting stronger bonds between children and both parents or other close relatives,” Anna Tenjeová, Minister for Seniors and Social Security, explained to The Telegraph website.

She added that the purpose of the new law is to enable parents to combine working life with an active family life and to choose the best way to take care of their children.

Photo: Profimedia.cz

Anna Tenjeová, Swedish Minister for Seniors and Social Security (left), welcomes Queen Sylvia to an international conference on preventing dementia in Stockholm in early September.

Maria Karlssonová, who lives in Stockholm with her three-year-old son Liam, makes no secret of the fact that she is significantly relieved as a working single parent.

“My mother has been helping and supporting me since Liam was born. She was very helpful to me. And even now she helps me two days a week and picks him up from kindergarten, which allows me to work a little more at my job, because I work part-time (80%), just to keep the economy going,” Maria confirmed to the Euronews website.

Zhor Karlsson, Maria’s mother, worked all her life in the civil service and is now enjoying her retirement. He thinks that the new system brings “something good for everyone”.

“For example, I help twice a week. It’s almost like a routine. But if I take care of my grandchild for a whole week when he gets sick, it will be good that the state will remember me with a parental allowance,” said Zhor.

Only after the days have been transferred, the beneficiaries who take care of the child can apply for parental allowance. In August, Maria transferred to Zhora for about ten days via the social insurance website to try out the new system.

“They come in handy, for example, if mom wants to be at home with Liam sometimes or if he gets sick and she makes it easier for me by staying home with Liam one day and I do the rest,” explained Maria.

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The generosity didn’t start now

Andreá Hedinová, a politician from the ruling Moderate Party, transferred paid parental leave to her aunt Mariysa Sleszynska, who has no children. “Women must have the opportunity to be a mother and have a job they can go to,” she said.

However, Lena Hallengrenová, former Minister of Social Affairs and member of the opposition Social Democratic Party, objects that this strategy sounds more like “procuring nannies” and “writing blank checks”. “After all, parental insurance is primarily intended to enable parents to stay at home with their children,” she pointed out.

Even before the benefits were improved, Sweden could boast of a generous system. It offers a total of 480 days, i.e. 1.3 years, of which 390 days amount to 80 percent of the salary for one parent. Two are entitled to 240 days each.

In 1974, the country of three crowns introduced paid parental leave for fathers. According to Försäkringskassan, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, fathers today take approximately 30 percent of paid parental leave, and only 17 percent of fathers who had children in 2017 did not take any of the allowance.

Around 1,456 people in Sweden had transferred childcare allowance days to someone who was not a second carer by the end of August, Euronews concluded.

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