Sweden has acknowledged the role grandparents play in young families through a groundbreaking new law implemented earlier this month.
Parents of young children living in the country can now transfer part of their family leave allowance to the baby’s grandparents.
Much like parents receiving the leave, the grandparents being passed on some of the allowances must be insured for parental benefits and can’t seek employment or study during the time they are paid to take care of the child.
The law, approved by the Swedish Parliament last December, states parents can pass on a maximum of 45 days of their leave to others during the child’s first year of life – a threshold pushed to 90 days for single parents.
Sweden, known for its taxpayer-funded welfare system, provides 480 days of fully paid parental leave per child.
Out of this total, the wage from the first 390 days is calculated based on each parent’s full income, while the remaining three months see the payment of a fixed 180 kronor (£14) per day.
Working parents are supported also after they return to work, as they are given the option to work reduced hours until their child turns eight – or 12, if they are state employees.
Hailing the new law, Alexandra Wallin from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency told Swedish broadcaster SVT this measure “will provide more opportunities.”
The allowance for grandparents was introduced five decades after Swedish fathers became eligible, just like mothers, for parental leave.
Sweden’s social security system aims at providing financial security to people living in the country during different stages of life.
Home to some 10.5 million people, Sweden performs well in many aspects of the OECD Better Life Index, including housing, jobs, environmental quality and safety.