Most parents agree that a mother should have two-thirds of the leave when they have children. This is shown in the analysis of the Parental Benefits Study 2021.
In 2018, the system parental allowance was divided into three parts. Some was intended for the mother, some was intended for the father, and some was to be freely distributed between the parents. The aim was a flexible solution promoting equality in work and family life.
A new analysis of the Parental Allowance Survey finds a majority of parents agree a third should go to the mother. Most mothers therefore receive two-thirds of the parental allowance for their children, while most fathers benefit from the paternity allowance, which is one-third. This means that the mother is at home with the child for 34 weeks and the father for 15 weeks.
– There are large gender differences when parental benefit is withdrawn. The distribution between them is decided by the parents, but the politically defined quotas strongly influence the choice that mother and father make, says researcher Frøydis M. Bakken from the Directorate of Labor and Welfare.
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Four out of five parents agree to the split
Four out of five parents agree on how to share paid leave, according to the Parental Benefit Survey. In cases where one parent decides more than the other, the mother usually decides the most.
The survey also shows that both mothers and fathers believe that more weeks should be set aside for mothers. Mothers want a limit of 31 weeks, while fathers believe that 29 weeks should be reserved for mothers.
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"It can be interpreted to mean that most parents think that today's common serving should go to a woman," says Bakken.
This year, the "father's quota" turns 30. Both mothers and fathers believe that part of the paid leave should be reserved for fathers, but disagree on the amount. Slightly over 60 percent fathers are satisfied with the length of the paternity assignment, and just over 50 percent. mothers think it is too long.
Almost half of mothers take unpaid leave
The 2021 Parental Benefits Survey shows that 76% of mothers feel they have too little time at home. 49 percent of them take unpaid leave to have more time with their baby and be able to breastfeed for longer. Much fewer fathers take unpaid leave.
Most parents feel that they do not allow others to influence them when deciding how to share leave. But on the list of influencers, the father's employer comes first, closely followed by the mother's employer.
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Source: NAV
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