Childcare policies of the Nordic welfare states: different paths to enable parents to earn and care?
Childcare policies of the Nordic welfare states: different paths to enable parents to earn and care?
This chapter explores whether Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland have followed a similar path in the development of their childcare polices or whether their policies reflect different national choices within this policy area. The data suggests that the Nordic countries have developed their own national schemes to provide care support to parents of young children that differ from each other in several important aspects. It also reveals that Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden all made extensive reforms of their parental leave schemes during the immediate postwar period. Compared to the other Nordic countries, Iceland has provided fewer rights for paid parental leave and still provides shorter total periods of paid care leaves. Iceland and Sweden come the closest of the Nordic countries to have developed policies that support equal opportunities for both parents to earn and care.
Keywords: childcare polices, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, parental leave
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