Usually it is the mother who uses the entire parental leave allowance period, although it is possible for parents to split the work sabbatical.
Financial reasons were most often cited as the obstacle to fathers taking parental leave, finds an opinion poll by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). Another common reason was that mothers themselves often prefer to use the entire leave. Fathers also often felt that mothers were better suited to care for the child.
"Following the birth of a child, the delegation of labour inside a family can easily become less egalitarian. Many couples don't discuss child-care responsibilities before the baby is born," says Anna Rotkirch, a special researcher at the Family Federation.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health says mothers play a pivotal role when it comes to initiating discussions on parental leave.
The beginning of last year saw a legislative change to parental leave to encourage fathers to more actively participate in child care.
Parental leave begins once the four month maternity leave (105 weekdays) ends. Parental leave, which lasts about six months (158 weekdays), can be used by either parent, and also be shared.
Fathers are moreover entitled to paternity leave, whereby they can stay at home with the mother during either the maternity or parental leaves. Paternity leave ranges from 1-18 days.
