Men’s participation in parental leave rises significantly in Finland post-reform

Men’s participation in parental leave in Finland has increased significantly since the introduction of a reform in August 2022. Prior to the reform, men claimed just 11.8% of parental leave days, but recent data indicates that this figure has risen to 19.5% over the past twelve months. According to the Finnish social insurance institution, Kela, this represents a substantial increase of nearly eight percentage points since the reform was implemented.

Anneli Miettinen, a specialist at Kela, noted that the change reflects a growing acceptance of parental leave opportunities among fathers. She emphasized the need for more comprehensive data, which will be available at the end of the year, as parents can use their leave until their child turns two. The revised law broadens its scope to recognize diverse family structures by replacing terms like “mother” and “father” with “birth parent” and “non-birth parent.”

The reform seeks to foster a more equitable distribution of parental leave and enhance women’s positions in the labor market, addressing a long-standing issue where women typically take longer leave periods compared to men.

There are notable regional disparities in the uptake of parental leave, with some municipalities having higher male participation rates than others. In eastern Lapland, for instance, men accounted for nearly 32.2% of parental leave days used.

Despite these positive trends, the overall participation remains modest, with some discussing the need for fathers’ leave to rise to 50% to achieve true equality. The impact of the reform will continue to be analyzed as the first children born after its introduction reach two years of age.