Fathers take out fewer days in the parental benefit period than mothers, according to figures from the Nav. The development reflects the fact that the allocated paternal period was changed from 14 to 10 weeks.
During the first half of 2016 there were approximately 36,300 men and about 64,700 women who received parental benefits, a reduction of 5.6 per cent for males and an increase of 5.4 percent for women, compared with the same period in 2015, according to figures from the Nav.
– Now the government must wake up and realize that the trend is moving the wrong way, mentioned by Unio leader Ragnhild Lied.
In recent years, payments of parental benefits to fathers increased but this trend was reversed in 2015 after the government reduced the allocated paternal period from 14 to 10 weeks with justification about giving parents a greater choice to distribute the weeks between themselves.
– It’s an illusion to think that equality will come by itself. It is still a challenge for fathers to justify a longer leave than they need to take – especially to employers. We also see that the women are bound more to the home, while father again get a bigger job presence, said Lied.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
