What's up, Europe? Gender, media and European integration. The story of a a young Dane exploring the continent.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Paternal leave

Today the free Danish daily MetroXpress featured a story about parental leave.

"There is a trend towards fathers getting harassed if they express their desire to take parental leave. We have heard about reactions as 'you can forget all about it' and 'your wife can do that, not you'," says Jane Korczak fra 3F, the biggest Danish trade union.

According to 3F and other trade unions many fathers even get sacked by their employers if they wish to take parental leave.

By Danish law fathers have the option to to take 32 weeks of the total parental leave - but it is only a possibility, not a right.

This is a truly unsatisfying situation for both men and women. Fathers should have the right to take half of the leave - just as mothers should have the right not to take it. Come on, politicians - help the families and earmark half of the parental leave for the father.

2 comments:

Henrik Hansen said...

Undskyld, men mit skriftlige engelsk er ikke til det offentlige rum.

Jeg er helt enig i dit indlæg og man har kunne se, hvilken succes Island har haft med at lave en ordning, hvor mange flere af ugerne i barselorloven er forbeholdt mændene.

Også er det forøvrigt på tide, at du bliver anbefalet af en af de andre danske polit-blogs, hvilket jeg har gjort nu og du hænger nu, som et af mine anbefalet links. Nok ikke noget der hjælper på dit besøgstal.

R. said...

Thanks for linking to my blog (every aid to improve statistics is welcome) and glad to have happy readers.

:-)