Parental Leave, Childcare and Gender Equality in the Nordic Countries

Book excerpt: The Nordic countries are often seen as pioneers in the area of gender equality. It is true that the position of women in Nordic societies is generally stronger than in the rest of the world. There is an explicit drive in most – or perhaps all – areas of society to promote and strengthen equality between women and men. In recent years, some significant changes have occurred on the family front, where men now assume a greater share of childcare, household work and other tasks that used to be primarily women's domain. Occasionally, we hear questions in the context of public debate as to whether the investments we have made to ensure equal opportunities, rights and obligations for women and men have in fact occurred at the expense of children. This concerns particularly the expansion of childcare and the system of shared parental leave. This book addresses some of these questions through an overview of political and policy developments in Nordic parental leave and childcare. In addition, the book describes research on the situation of Nordic children and their wellbeing as viewed through international comparisons.