Finland's government has announced plans to change the paid parental leave system to give each parent close to seven months off.
Currently maternity leave in Finland is 4.2 months, while fathers get just 2.2 months' paid leave to spend with their child before they turn two, along with an additional 6 months' leave to be shared by the couple.
On average only one in four fathers use their leave - a statistic Prime Minister Sanna Marin is hoping to change by providing them the same amount as mothers from next year.
Ms Marin took over as prime minister in December, becoming the youngest ever woman to lead the country which is governed by a five-party coalition. Each party in the ruling coalition is led be a woman.
Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin focuses on addressing gender inequality Source: AFP
Under the new system each parent will have a total of more than six and a half months off, as well as an extra six months to share.
Parents will also be able to transfer up to 69 days of their break to their spouse.
The changes are estimated to cost an extra $A160 million.
Pregnant women will get an additional one month paid leave, while single parents will be able to use both allowances which equates to 14 months of time parents get to spend with their newborn.
Declining birth rate
Health and Social Affairs Minister Aino-Kaisa Pekon said she was confident the “radical reform of family benefits” will not just address gender inequality but improve Finland’s declining birth rate, which fell by around a fifth between 2010 and 2018.
“The reform will be a major change in attitudes, as it will improve equality between parents and make the lives of diverse families easier,” Minister Pekon said.
A pregnant woman and a child Source: Getty
“The reform will support all kinds of families and ensure equal leaves for children regardless of the form of the family.”
Australian government proposes parental leave change
Australia's parental leave is less generous and only two weeks of taxpayer-funded support is available for the secondary carer.
While fathers can access the full 18 weeks of taxpayer funded leave for the primary carer, .
The federal government has proposed changes to make the leave more flexible for new parents.
Under the current scheme parents must take leave for a continuous period of up to 18 weeks, to be claimed within one year of a child being born or adopted.
Primary carers in Australia get 18 weeks off Source: Supplied
But the government has introduced draft legislation to parliament on Thursday which would allow parents to split the 18-week period in two.
The first block of leave must be taken in a continuous period of 12 weeks, to be used within one year of a child being born or adopted.
Parents can then keep the remaining six weeks - which equals 30 working days - up their sleeve to use flexibly until the child is two.
