Far more mothers opt for unpaid leave
In 2017, three out of ten mothers chose to add unpaid leave to the parental benefit period. That is 66 per cent more than in 2008.
This appears in the Parental Benefits Survey of NAV from 2017.
The increase comes despite the fact that the parental benefit period was five weeks longer in 2017 than in 2008. Today, you can decide whether to take out 49 weeks with 100 per cent parental benefit or 59 weeks with 80 per cent.
The women who opted for unpaid leave were, on average, home with the child for 53 weeks in 2017, of which 13 were unpaid. About six per cent of the fathers elected for unpaid leave in addition to the parental benefit period, both in 2008 and 2017.
12 Months
You have the right to opt for unpaid leave for up to 12 months – if it is taken out immediately after the period of the parental benefit.
Choosing unpaid leave means that during the unpaid period, you lose your right to illness benefits, and this can affect your pension earnings.
A senior adviser in the Knowledge Department of NAV, Line Schou – who has led the work on the survey – believes this development is disturbing.
“ This is worrying in view of gender equality,” she tells Dagens Næringsliv.
She further states that fathers in the same category, on average, spent ten weeks at home, of which only one was unpaid.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
