Everything Tagged with 'sweden'
Parental Leave and Masculinity
Sweden’s progressive parental leave laws – extended in equal and generous parts to both mothers and fathers – have been slowly redefining the country’s own cultural concepts of masculinity since their inception almost a decade and a half ago.
The New York Times takes a fascinating look:
Companies have come to expect employees to take leave irrespective of gender, and not to penalize fathers at promotion time. Women’s paychecks are benefiting and the shift in fathers’ roles is perceived as playing a part in lower divorce rates and increasing joint custody of children.
In perhaps the most striking example of social engineering, a new definition of masculinity is emerging.
“Many men no longer want to be identified just by their jobs,” said Bengt Westerberg, who long opposed quotas but as deputy prime minister phased in a first month of paternity leave in 1995. “Many women now expect their husbands to take at least some time off with the children.”
Birgitta Ohlsson, European affairs minister, put it this way: “Machos with dinosaur values don’t make the top-10 lists of attractive men in women’s magazines anymore.”
As Jason Kottke comments, Sweden’s governmental policies show how their society has “Actual family values.”
Tangentially, this gives me an opportunity to mention a great new documentary about society’s changing concepts of masculinity and fatherhood: it’s called The Evolution of Dad, from director Dana Glazer. It’s a truly touching and insightful film; I found it a fond reminder of my own dad and growing up, as well as a gentle challenge for us all to reconsider our notions of masculinity and fatherhood. The film is now available for purchase on DVD, and, I do have to say, it’s tagline is completely true: “You’ll never look at your father the same way again.”