To Americans and Britons, the Nordic countries have come to represent a near-mythical paradise of gender equality and family harmony, where legions of happy fathers push prams through the streets, relaxed mothers enjoy lengthy paid maternity leaves, and well-nourished children in chunky sweaters glow from their free healthcare.
But even against that backdrop, one statistic about Finland, a nation of 5.5 million, stands out: according to a recent OECD report, it’s the only country in the developed world where fathers spend more time with school-aged children than mothers, to the tune of eight minutes a day.
The Global Gender Gap report rated Finland the second most equal country in the world in 2016, and the Economist recently rated it the third best country to be a working mom.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Finland, where kids count and dads pitch in
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We need to advocate a complete reform of work for men and women, not read about this kind of drivel!
ReplyDeleteWhy do professionals — Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, Business Executives, Scientists, Engineers, Educators- and, actually, not only professionals — need to routinely work 70 - 80 hours a week?
These days everyone is putting in long hours by job description or choice, needing to pick up overtime or get second jobs to get a little ahead, if not just to make ends meet.
So, no I don’t want to read about the Finish dads who spent 8 minutes more with their kids. Such articles insult our collective intelligence.
However many Americans it took to elect Trump are probably unaware of the differences between here and anywhere else. They still believe that Russia is communist and the grocery shelves are bare. Nor do I think they're easily insulted.
ReplyDeleteBut more on topic, they don't realize that unemployment is worsened by our lack of single payer health care. As long as the onus of health insurance remains on business they'll opt to overwork fewer employees rather than provide the added cost of insurance for more employees. Fewer workers working longer hours equal reduced insurance costs.
Olcharlie makes points worth considering.
ReplyDeleteArticles on the Russian Consumer Economy (RCE) are rare.
However, I have heard that the RCE is still not doing well. A Reuters Report from May confirms the newscast.
I doubt Trump’s rabble, likely Fox News watchers, are particularly well informed, or interested in the fate of the Russian people. The rabble, in general aren’t especially knowledgeable or thoughtful in any case.
Regarding the notion about Health Care, I’m know that employers are sensitive to both the bottom line and the job market. There are low life employers in every sector more than willing to exploit their employees at every turn. Look at the actions of Billlionaires like Bloomberg, Romney and Trump to name a few. There are also many employers who want good employees and know that to compete they must and do offer good benefit packages. Even so, some firms still are exploitive in other ways. I can cite instances from stories told by family and friends.
The rarely recognized problem, an elephant in the room, is the problem of size. The larger the country the more distant the government representatives are from the citizens and the more in line they are with big business and big money.