Parents in Sweden can ask for up to 480 days of parental leave of which the fathers are entitled to at least 60 days, but there is a legislative initiative to increase this period to 90 days. Among the advantages of such a policy are the possibility of both of the parents combining work with the family and, consequently, a higher quota of women’s participation in the labor market. Sweden’s experience was shared in a conference held by the Embassy of Sweden in Chisinau. The debate anticipated the passing in the final reading of an amendment to the Labor Code of Moldova, which provides for the institution of paternity leave of 14 days, IPN reports.
“We have one of the most advantageous and generous systems of parental leave because we believe that the family and professional life can be combined,” Swedish Ambassador Ingrid Tersman said in the conference entitled “Mosaic of life – reform of the parental leave”. She voiced hope that the discussions within this event will be useful in the context of the debates on the initiative to institute paternity leave.
Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Valentina Buliga said the bill was already passed in the first reading. She called on the representatives of the political parties attending the conference to support this bill so that it is adopted this autumn. “In Moldova there are legal provisions giving both of the parents equal opportunities as regards parental leave. Regretfully, the stereotype that it is the duty of mothers to raise the child prevails, while men avoid nurturing the children,” stated the minister, adding that only 2-3% of the fathers go on paternity leave.
“The demographic indicators in our country are poor, while the intervention of the government and society is not sufficient,” said MP Vladimir Hotineanu, who heads the Parliament’s commission on social protection, health and family. Speaking about the possible opposition of employers, who will have to pay paternal leave to fathers, he stated that the private sector in 20 years will not have workforce if it does not take part in the governmental programs.
Deputy head of the Parliament’s commission on culture, education, research, youth, sport and mass media Corina Fusu suggested amending the bill so that it provides that the authorities should pay a part of the salary of fathers who are on paternity leave, instead of the employers.
The conference held in Chisinau today, September 16, is the second part of the project “Mosaic of Life” that was launched by the Embassy of Sweden. The first part of the project was an exhibition of photographs, accompanied by accounts of Swedish parents who had been on parental leave, mounted in the square before the monument to Ruler Stephan the Great on September 15.
