Aapo Mäki chose not to take parental leave despite rising uptake among fathers

Toimitusjohtaja Aapo Mäki, 32, chose not to take any parental leave after the births of his two sons, now aged two and four, despite the overall increase in leave taken by fathers in Finland.

Mäki, who has led the digital development firm Into-Digital for seven years, said he believed taking leave would have harmed the company’s sales and required finding a long-term replacement he could not secure. His wife, a marketing specialist, stayed home after both births. The couple did not formally debate who would stay home, as Mäki’s higher income made the decision financially straightforward.

Toimitusjohtaja Aapo Mäki chose not to take parental leave after the births of his two sons.

Fathers in Finland now take nearly a quarter of all compensated parental leave days, up from about one in five before a 2022 reform. The average father now takes about three months of leave, double the amount five years ago, according to the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela).

Kelan tutkimuspäällikkö Anneli Miettinen attributed the rise to the reform, which increased uptake among both employees and self-employed fathers. She noted that fathers in higher-income households are more likely to take leave, though uptake does not continue growing at the highest income levels.

Mäki, who posted about his decision on LinkedIn, wrote that if he were a woman he would likely have taken at least a year of leave. He received criticism online but also private messages from other male executives who agreed with his stance yet hesitated to speak publicly.

“We need to accept that work is prioritised highly—even above family,” Mäki said.