Maternity leave: new incentives and unintended consequences

In July 2001 the government expanded childcare to include children of parents who are unemployed and in January 2002 to include children of parents who are on parental leave looking after a sibling (Swedish National Agency for Education, 2003). In addition, in January 2003 all children aged 4-5 became entitled to 525 hours of free attendance in childcare per year (Swedish National Agency for Education, 2003). These changes have resulted in a more universal childcare system. Today, 80 per cent of children aged 1-5 attend pre-school, while 75 per cent of children aged 6-9 attend leisure-time centres. (Swedish National Agency for Education. 2006)

In the end, it appears maternity leave policies may not bring families closer together, but create a generation where parents and children become strangers.

Consider this comment (PDF 137KB):

Policies such as childcare and parental leave have meant that the majority of Swedish women are employed in the labour market and remain there throughout their lives, with only minor interruptions after the birth of a child.

Is this the outcome we are looking for as a society? Maybe it’s just a personal opinion, but a society where children become simply a minor career interruption, with their care out-sourced as quickly as possible, is not my preferred future.