Work-Family Issues
Every
country struggles with work-family reconciliation and Finland is no
exception. Despite lower levels of reported work-life
conflict in Finland, there are still issues that create hardships for parents who are trying to balance caring for a family and
holding down a job. While Finland is often used as a model for
developing adequate family and labor policies in other developed
countries, it still falls short regarding certain work-family policies,
especially compared to its Nordic counterparts like Sweden and The
Netherlands. Families with babies and young children are
the main concentration of Finnish family policy but it is still flawed by a
parental leave system that remains very gendered, a complicated and
controversial childcare allowance policy, and unsatisfactory aid for
single parents.
Image courtesy of Alessandro Pinna
Click on the links below to learn more about important
current issues in work and family in Finland.
References:
- "Ministry of Social Affairs and Health." 2007. Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Retrieved 02/15/2009, 2009. (http://www.stm.fi/Resource.phx/eng/subjt/famil/index.htx).
