In Sweden, grandparents can now receive paid parental leave this week, under groundbreaking new legislation aimed at extending parental benefits beyond a child's immediate family.
The changes, which came into effect on Monday, allow parents to transfer some of their parental leave days to the other parent, cementing Sweden's reputation as a global pioneer in progressive parental leave policies.
According to the Swedish government's Social Insurance Agency, the law allows single parents to transfer up to 90 days of paid leave to another caregiver, while couples can transfer up to 45 days of paid leave.
The law was approved by the Swedish parliament (349 seats) in December last year.
Leo Grubling, a 65-year-old freelance copywriter who lives in Lund, Sweden, said his second grandchild is due in August and he plans to help raise his son, who lives in the nearby city of Malmö.
Asked what he thought of the new law, Galving described it as “fantastic” and praised Sweden's already strong welfare system as “even better”.
This is not Sweden's first innovative social welfare initiative: Swedes pay some of the highest taxes in the world but in return enjoy state-funded health care, free education up to university and generous unemployment benefits.
The Nordic country of more than 10 million people also has some of the most comprehensive parental leave laws in the world, offering 480 days of paid leave per child to be shared between both parents, with 30 days of leave for each parent during the baby's first year together.
Sweden's guidelines contrast with the United States, one of the few Western countries that doesn't guarantee paid maternity or parental leave.
Legally protected parental leave is available only to federal employees and workers in a handful of U.S. states, an exception in many wealthy countries.
“The Nordic countries, which have very generous policies to begin with, are becoming even more generous and flexible, and we seem to be falling further and further behind,” said Richard Petz, a sociology professor at Ball State University and an expert on parental leave.
While parental leave policies in countries such as Sweden are considered “best in class” around the world, such generosity “is not realistic for the U.S.” because of resistance to tax increases, Professor Petz said.
Research has shown that maternity and parental leave programs tend to improve family health after the birth, benefiting both birth parents and their infants in the long run.
Prof Petts said Sweden's new, more extensive guidelines were likely to improve work-life balance in the country, particularly for single parents.
He said the new law “recognizes the increasing complexities of balancing work and family life.”
Christina Andersson contributed reporting from Stockholm, Sweden.