Mirza’s Post

Sweden Leads the Way: Could Croatia Be Next? I just found out about a groundbreaking move, Sweden has expanded its already progressive parental leave policies. As of July 1st, parents can now transfer up to 45 days of paid parental leave to people who are not legal guardians, including grandparents, relatives, or even friends. This reform, introduced by the Swedish government, allows more flexibility and support for families, ensuring that caregivers can share responsibilities. Sweden was the first country to introduce paid parental leave for fathers in 1974, and today, fathers take around 30% of paid leave. Now, 50 years later, grandparents and others can be paid to care for children, providing even more support to families. I hope that Croatia will adopt similar policies by the time I get my grandchildren :) I think that's extremely important because grandparents are living proof to children that unconditional love does exist. #ParentalLeave #FamilySupport #WorkLifeBalance #Sweden #Croatia

Happy Early Father's Day! This Father's Day, let's acknowledge the crucial role of fathers in their children’s lives and advocate for improved parental leave policies that support all parents. Did you know? The U.S. lags significantly behind many other countries in this regard. For instance, Sweden offers 480 days of leave for both parents, with 80% of their regular wages. In Japan, leave laws are ahead of the curve, offering 12 months of paid leave to new fathers and providing one full year of paid parental leave exclusively for fathers. #FathersDay #ParentalLeave #FamilySupport #EqualityAtHome

🇸🇪 Sweden: Where it’s taboo for dads to skip parental leave 👍Like this post if you love this headline as much as we do! Fathers in Sweden take the highest proportion of state-subsidised leave in the EU, according to OECD data. A 2023 study found that just 18% of fathers who had children born in 2017 hadn't used any of their allowance. Gender Inclusive Parental Leave Policy is one of the key themes in our 2024 Guide: Cutting Edge #FamilyFriendly policy and practice. 👉Click here for your free copy - concise, actionable examples of workplace best practice that you can implement too: https://lnkd.in/dUwZnzCr You’ll also read exclusive behind the scenes insights on policy design and implementation from HR leaders including Kent Frederiksen at the LEGO Group, Laura Cole Regional MD, HR at Standard Chartered and Pete O'Rourke HR Chief Operating Officer at M&G plc. We hope the Guide gives you some new ideas and steps you can take for your colleagues in whichever country they work…  So we don’t all try to move to Sweden! 😉 https://lnkd.in/enWwNGdx #ParentalLeave #FromBabiesWithLove

Grandparents to get parental leave? Sweden has introduced a law that permits grandparents to take paid parental leave to care for their grandchildren for up to three months during the child’s first year. This follows the Swedish parliament's approval last December of the government's proposal to transfer parental allowance. (Sweden was also the first country to offer paid parental leave to fathers) Under the new law, parents can transfer part of their parental leave to the child’s grandparents. A couple can transfer up to 45 days, while a single parent can transfer up to 90 days. Sweden has established a society where citizens are supported from birth to old age. Parents in Sweden are entitled to take 480 days of parental leave per child. Compensation for 390 of these days is based on the parent's full income, while the remaining 90 days are compensated at a fixed rate. Song for the night - Run and Hide, by Gone Gone Beyond & The Human Experience #legalnews #swedenlaw

Did you know the Icelandic government covers around 75% of parental leave costs? 🤯 This groundbreaking policy encourages both mothers and fathers to be fully involved from the moment their little one arrives. Our latest episode dives into how this family-centric approach fosters strong parent-infant bonds right from the start. Soffía Bæringsdóttir, our insightful guest, shares her expertise on Iceland's progressive parental leave system. Listen now and discover the secrets behind Iceland's support for new parents. #parentingadvice #newbornbonding #attachmentparenting #icelandicwisdom

Late Harvard professor Dan P. Brown used to repeat a lot: "modern parents involve themselves in the job of parenting but not in the joy of parenting. Being delighted by your parents as a child is crucial for development of healthy self-esteem and secure attachment. Sadly, mothers as primary caregivers of infants experience so much stress and lack of support at the workplace that it would be totally unfair to put such high expectation on them. The most critical window in secure attachment development is 12 to 20 months of age, and by that age mothers are usually back to career work while being on a second job of parenting at the same time. The most severe disturbances in early childhood development happen not only when a caregiver is frightening but when a caregiver is frightened. At least 40 % of children in the United States are outside the secure attachment range and lack of secure attachment manifests later in life as poor mental health outcomes. Paid parental leave is not a privilege, it's a matter of public health and safety. #parenting #worklifebalance #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness

Check out this BBC article by Maddy Savage on the impact of 50 years of Sweden’s parental leave policy. Dads taking leave is now the norm, with men increasingly seen as equal partners in caregiving. 💛 This shift has led to happier families and more balanced workplaces, and research shows that spending more time with children reduces the risk of postpartum depression in fathers. 😊 However, there’s still work to be done to achieve healthier employees. LEIA Health supports both mums and dads before, during, and after parental leave, and automates the process for companies, increasing awareness around parental leave. 🌟 Curious about the solution? Book a demo with us, link in the comments.

It’s almost #MothersDay, and everyone *loves* moms—but legislation says… otherwise. Since this clip filmed on John Oliver in 2015, here’s where a few things stand: ➡️ The U.S. is one of only 7 countries that doesn’t legally require paid time off for new parents. ➡️ 13 of 50 U.S. states, including Washington, D.C. now have statewide paid family leave. ➡️ 21 of 50 U.S. states ban or restrict access to early abortions. ➡️ The U.S. has the second most expensive child care system in the world, only behind New Zealand. ➡️ 4 in 10 U.S. parents are in debt due to the cost of child care. It’s about time the system accommodated 50% of the population. We need to work toward shifts that help women and families—affordable child care, flexible work, postpartum care and better parental leave policies, to name a few.

As someone who experienced 5 months fully paid parental leave for my first child and 3 months FMLA “we’ll hold your job” for my second child, I have first hand experience of the impact a good program had on my ability to function as a human and perform at work (& as a mom). When an organization says we’re people first and yet there is no real program for this important life stage, the eyeroll I will give can be seen from outerspace. In most evaluations we’ve done for clients, the leaderships’ fear of cost or productivity loss is simply a symptom of not having done the work to evaluate and design a good parental leave program for their people. We can wait for this to be done at a federal level, but in the meantime, business owners…do better.

This video still holds true. Until there are changes in laws and policies that actively support mothers, celebrating Mother’s Day on a societal level feels insincere. -> Affordable childcare -> National paid parental leave -> State-level extended paid parental leave policies (6months at the minimum) -> child-friendly workplace policies These policies are not just welfare, evidence suggests there are great economic returns. Its good for business!