# How Equality Looks in Sweden

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/news-opinion/politics/how-equality-looks-in-sweden/
- Published: 2016-01-12T08:00:22+11:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

## _There’s already a lot to love about Sweden. From the interior design�to the stunning, square-jawed male inhabitants, Swedish style has had us all swooning._

But as it turns out the most amazing thing about Sweden is the country’s�forward-
thinking approach to gender equality.

 

[⌊How equality looks in sweden | stay at home mum⌉⌊How equality looks in sweden 
| stay at home mum⌉[

Sweden is currently one of the top players in the world when it comes to gender.
In the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap survey for 2015, Sweden comes in
fourth behind Iceland, Finland and Norway. Just in case you were wondering, Australia
came in 36th. Yep, 36th, as in three-six.�The survey measures the participation 
of women in the workplace, the gender pay gap, and the empowerment, heath and education
of women in all areas, including politics.

So with a massive 32 nations standing between Australia and Sweden, what are they
doing that we aren’t?�Well, this is how equality looks like in Sweden�apparently.

## The Swedish Image of Gender Equality

### **1. Equality since the dawn of time**

[⌊Suffragists⌉⌊Suffragists⌉[

via truthaboutwomenoftheworld.wordpress.com

First off, they’ve had the right idea from the start. Women in Sweden were able 
to inherit property as early as 1845 and maternity leave was allowed in 1901. By
comparison in Australia unpaid job protected leave was first seen in 1979. Yep, 
that’s 78 years later.

Sweden also does ‘Anti-Sexism Awareness Training’ with children beginning in kindergarten,
and of the 24 government ministers 13 out of 24 are women. That’s a majority.

### **2.�Shared Parental Leave**󠀁[⌊Download⌉](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/download.jpg?quality=89&ssl=1)󠁿

via�herculture.org

There’s more. Sweden is beating Australia into the ground in the equality race with
it’s forward-thinking attitudes about parenting and parental leave.�At the moment
parents in Sweden are given 16 months of leave when a new child is born. They can
choose to share this leave between themselves, with 60 days for each parent being
untransferable. That is, you either take it as a whole or lose it. If you think 
those 60 days are a lot, it will be raised to 90 days this year. Now the 16 months
of leave can be taken as hours, days, weeks or months over a period of�**8 years**
per child. Plus 390 of those days are paid at 80% of the parent’s wage, with a cap
for higher earners. That explains the rise in suave Swedish ‘latte papas’ sipping
coffee and handing out with their kids in parks.

Think that’s as good as it gets? Well, there’s even more.

### **3.Government-funded Childcare**󠀁[⌊Childcare art⌉](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Childcare-art1.jpg?quality=89&ssl=1)󠁿

via�psychologicalscience.org

Childcare is properly subsidised by the state, and is capped at 3% of a family income.
This means that instead of forking out hundreds of dollars a day to keep kids in
childcare, families rarely pay more than AUD$250 per month for each child. Plus,
nurseries are open at all hours to allow for nightshift work. Basically, the Swedish
government makes it easier to be a good parent, balancing work and parental duties.

Of course like many countries Sweden does have a gender pay gap, but it’s closing
fast with the government offering more incentives and opportunities to even the 
playing field. Sure, the taxes in Sweden might be higher, but with all the services
and offerings, the place sounds like a paradise to us!

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