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Proposal: Family Policies in Scandinavia

This article will give a description of what family policies are and why they are important. It will focus on the family policies in Scandinavian countries, specifically; Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. After giving a brief description of what family policies are, I will talk about the history and evolution of family policies in Scandinavia, the key events that lead to the creation of family policies in Scandinavia. Starting from the ‘motherhood revolution’ a revolution that led to the creation of rights for women to use a contraceptive pill, allowing women to have more control over their bodies. All the way to Industrialization, which created space for women in the labour market. Although, each of the countries made the move towards social democracy at different times, it is now a trait that they all share. My article will also talk about the different types of family policies and measures; Paid parental leave, subsidized child care, cash benefits for child care and many other policy measures. I will discuss which countries use which policies and why they use it. I will also highlight the differences and similarities between family policies in the different Scandinavian countries. There will also be a section that talks about the impacts of family policies on the society both the positives and the negatives. This article will also bring to light some of the controversial issues surrounding family policies today. This topic is a very important topic to write about because it provides a general yet in depth and easy to understand to the general audience. This topic contributes to theories of comparative politics because it we will be looking at the institutions that have made Scandinavia the way that it is today, looking at various historical institutions and paths that have led to the creation of policies that they have. Although one of my source argues that the Scandinavian countries actually want to privatize their economy and increase taxation. However because of the paths that they have taken they find it difficult to become more of a liberal welfare state.

Lead Section: Family Policies in Scandinavia

Family policies are a combination of social and economic policies, programs, and laws aimed especially at families with children These policies are usually created to ensure a balance between the work and family life. Although today, Scandinavian countries are admired for their effective support for families with children through policies that balance work and family life, share paid and unpaid work equitably among men and women, and make the interest of the child the main focus. It is important to realize that the family and children have not always been regarded as important in the Scandinavian countries. The origin of family policies in Scandinavian countries can be traced back to the 19th century during the beginning of the industrialization. The transition of communities from rural to industrialized led to an increase of idle children on the street. In a show of nationalism, protecting children became an important social issue. Most Scandinavian countries made laws on child protection and began to see children as future citizens whom they needed to invest in. One of the key goals of the social democratic welfare state is to guarantee children's welfare and security .There are a variety of family policies, however, the most common ones within the Scandinavian countries are the provision of childcare and education, parental leave, child maintenance, child benefit, joint custody of family breakup and individual tax assessment to support the dual-earner- dual career model. Although these policies are common across Scandinavian countries, different countries place more emphasis on certain policies. Sweden in 1974  was the first country to implement parental leaves that allowed both the father and mother to take time off work to care for their children. All three Scandinavian countries have since then implemented similar policies. Although there is a shared belief in the ideal of gender equality, there are differences between countries in the extent to which family policies incorporate gender equality as an active component in policy development. Two things, however that is common between these countries is that access to this policies is based on citizenship, not on input or merit, and the use of the dual-earner-dual career model. The dual earner-dual career model creates a higher labor force participation rate among men, women, and young mothers. Critics of the Scandinavian family policies argue that these policies create weaker labor market positions for women. Women are left with fewer career opportunities and less pay compared to men. Another argument that critics make against the use of generous family policies in Scandinavian countries is that these policies are responsible for the negative economic growth in this countries.

Defining Family Policies

Family policies refer to any public directives, social programs and legislation that affects family life. These policies are usually created with the intention of enhancing marriage, reproduction, and raising children. Family Policies prioritize child protection and try to reduce the tensions between work and family life. These policies are usually proposed by the state, however, corporations and an employer may also initiate them em. For more than a hundred years, the government in developed countries has been regulating certain aspects of family life. Policies requiring citizens to register their marriages, births, and deaths are all examples of family policies that are standard across several countries. Although family policies are a subcategory of social policies, they cannot be replaced for one another. Policy goals and objectives in regards to families may be explicit or implicit. Explicit Family policies are those where the goals or objectives for families are knowingly structured. Examples include child protection services, child maintenance, and foster care. Implicit family policies are family policies that affect families even though family objectives are not purposely structured into them. For example, tax credits for new homebuyers, special education programs for the mentally disadvantaged and much more. Implicit family policies because of their less obvious effects on families are known as latent family policies. Different countries have different kinds of family policies. For example, North American countries have more implicit family policies in comparison to Scandinavian countries. Family policy goals change over time and across countries, and so have the instruments used to implement these policies. Low fertility rates and population reduction are one of the main reasons for state intervention in family life. However, these social concerns have led to the formulation of different policies over time and across countries. For example, supporting stay at home mothers, to supporting working mothers. From banning contraception and abortion to legalizing it, or even enforcing it in some countries like China, or India where the fertility rates are too high. Today, support for the family, welfare of the child and Gender equality have been framing family policies. Especially in Scandinavian countries. The development of family policies in Scandinavian countries is characterized by their democratic social regime.

Support for working Parents: Parental leave Policy: Maternity, Paternity, and Parental

Maternity leave was introduced to all three Scandinavian countries in the mid - 1950s to early 1960s with the objective of protecting the mother and the child. Realizing that fatherhood is a shared responsibility and in efforts to reduce gender inequality in the job market, Sweden introduced the idea of a parental leave and Norway and Denmark followed soon after. In regards to family policies in these countries, there seems to be a theme of convergence. After introducing the parental leave, many fathers were not taking advantage of it. In order to encourage more fathers to share in the responsibility of raising the child,  the father's quota was introduced in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. However, the father's quota had a very short lifespan in Denmark and was abolished in 2002. Where the parental leave allows either of the parents the opportunity to spend time with their newly born child, the Paternity leave allows the father to take time off work to spend with his child.

In Denmark, the total leave is 52 weeks. 32 of these 52 weeks can be split between the parents as they choose, fathers have 2 weeks of paternity leave and mothers have 18 weeks of maternity leave, 4 of which has to be taken before the due date. The total length of leave in Norway depends on how much benefits the parents draw. With 80% compensation, the total length of leave is 57 and with a 100% compensation rate, the total length of the leave is 47 weeks. Each parent is required to take a minimum of 10 weeks each while the rest of the leave time can be shared between both parents as they see fit. Sweden provides a total of 67 weeks to the parents, of which only 390 days are with full benefits. Each parent is required to take 8 weeks of leave, including the 2 weeks paternity leave for the father immediately after birth.

Child Care

One policy area where there are obvious differences between the Scandinavian countries is the duration of child care protection. In Denmark, once a child is 26 weeks old he or she is entitled to childcare, even though parental leave can continue until the child is 46 weeks old. Early child care takes place in an institutional setting as opposed to a family day care in the home of a caregiver. The policy for child care in Sweden, allows the child to start in daycare following the end of the parental leave and all children age four and above have a right to 15 hours of childcare weekly. Demonstrating the view that Child care is regarded as a right of the child, this right is exercised regardless of the parents working situation.

Cash for care

Another family policy that is common between the three Scandinavian countries is cash for care benefits. This is an option for parents who do not want to enroll their children in a state-subsidized kindergarten. In Denmark and Sweden, the goal of this policy was to give parents a choice as to where their child should be cared for. However, it was introduced in Norway as a way to create equality between parents who make use of state-subsidized childcare and those who choose to care for their child at home and received no benefits. The monetary value of the cash for care benefit is substantially higher than that of Sweden and Norway.

Child Support

Parents with children in all the Scandinavian countries receive child support to reimburse them for the costs related to having children. This universal benefit is tax-free and independent of the parent's income in all three countries. However, the rules of the benefit varies across all Scandinavian countries. One variation is that the size of the benefit is dependent on how many parents there are in the household and how high the household income is. Norway and Denmark provide higher benefits to single parents, while Sweden provides the same amount of benefit regardless of the number of parents in the household. Another difference between the rules of this benefit between the three countries is whether or not the size of the benefit changes based on the number of children in one household. In Sweden, the size of benefit per child increases with the number of children in the household, while in Denmark and Norway the size of the benefit falls.

Child Maintenance

All Scandinavian countries consider both parents to be responsible for the maintenance of the child even after a divorce. In all Scandinavian countries, the level of child maintenance depends on how much income both parents earn. In Norway, the settlement also takes into account the custody arrangement. The more time a parent spends with the child the more they have to pay for the maintenance of the child.

Conclusion All these Scandinavian countries have invested generously in the welfare states and this has led to the creation of efficient and intuitive family policies. Also among their many similarities is the creation of the dual-earner career model. This model increases the labor force participation of both men and women, most especially for young mothers with children. The dual-earner career model has been effective in keeping both the fertility rate and the participation of women in the workforce high. It has also increased the amount of time on average that fathers and mothers spend with their children. Scandinavian countries differ on how they prioritize gender inequality. For instance, although Sweden and Norway have a father's quota requiring the father to spend at least 8 weeks with their child, Denmark does not have this policy.