Groundbreaking new Swedish law entitles grandparents to paid parental leave 

A groundbreaking new law in Sweden entitles new parents to transfer some of their paid parental leave to a child’s grandparents, allowing for monetary benefits up to three months of the child’s first year for other caregivers beyond the immediate family.

The legislation, which was signed into law this month, gives single parents the ability to transfer up to 90 days of paid leave and coupled parents up to 45 days, according to the Swedish government’s Social Insurance Agency. The law was approved by the Riksdag, the country’s 349-seat parliament, last December, coming 50 years after the country became the first in the world to offer paid parental leave to both mothers and fathers.

In Sweden, parents are afforded paid leave for 480 days (16 months) per child, at full pay for 390 days and a fixed allowance of 180 kronor ($17) per day. Parents are also entitled to reduced working hours until their child is 8 years old, and government employees can get those reduced hours until the child turns 12. The Scandinavian country is among the most progressive when it comes to supporting parents and families, fostering an emphasis on true work-life balance that even includes modest daycare fees, paid time off for parents of a sick child, and universal healthcare.

To contrast, the United States is the only wealthy country in the world that offers zero paid parental leave benefits on a federal level, with plenty of parents returning to work within weeks or days upon welcoming their child out of sheer necessity. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) does guarantee most workers at companies with at least 50 employees access to unpaid family caregiver leave without risk of losing their jobs, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that only about 27% of civilian workers have access to any paid family leave.

Babysitting grandchildren can have many benefits for both grandparents and grandchildren, including:

• Physical and mental health
  Grandchildren can keep grandparents active, which can improve their brain health, reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and increase their lifespan. The interaction with grandchildren can also be emotionally and mentally stimulating, and can help reduce stress.
• Sense of purpose
  Grandparents can feel useful and valued, and the caretaking responsibility can give them a sense of purpose, especially if they are retired.
• Bonding
  Grandparents can bond with their grandchildren, and the role of teacher can boost brain activity and stimulate memory.
• Wisdom
  Grandparents can impart wisdom to their grandchildren in a way that may be more absorbable than if a parent tries to do so.
• Emotional satisfaction
  Grandparents can experience emotional satisfaction from being involved in their grandchild’s growth and development.

Many families simply cannot afford to take unpaid time off for any reason, let alone with the expenses of a new baby. That we lag so far behind on legislation to support families is, frankly, shameful on every level, especially given that moms, dads, and children alike benefit from time spent together in those early months after birth.