Sweden has introduced a new law that allows grandparents and legal guardians to receive paid leave to care for their grandchildren during the child’s first year of life.
This impressive reform comes 50 years after Sweden became the first country to offer paid parental leave for both parents and not mothers alone.
What the law says
According to the Social Insurance Agency, parental couples can transfer up to 45 days of their 480-day parental leave allowance to the child’s grandparents. Single parents can transfer up to 90 days to their grandparents.
Grandparents and guardians can access up to 3 months of paid leave to care for a grandchild in the child’s first year. Sweden’s generous social welfare system provides 480 days (16 months) of parental benefits per child. With most of it based on the parents’ full income.
The significance of this development
This progressive step recognises the vital role grandparents play in supporting families. It ensures their important contributions are valued and compensated by the state.
The reform is expected to strengthen family bonds. And also provide welcome relief for parents during the critical first year of a child’s life. Sweden has a long history of progressive parental leave policies. It was the first country in the world to introduce paid parental leave for fathers in 1974. Doing this paved the way for other nations to follow suit.
When will the United States follow suit?
Surprisingly, the United States is one of the few countries that still doesn’t have a national maternity leave policy.
Vicki Shabo, a researcher and advocate for paid family and medical leave programs in the United States, said, “We have no federal, national-level entitlement to paid parental leave at all.”
“Families often extend beyond the nuclear family. Examples like Sweden show just how far behind the United States is. We have a lot of work to do to catch up with the rest of the industrialised world,” said Jared Make, the vice president of A Better Balance, a non-profit advocacy organisation.