New record: Number of Norwegian fathers taking 75 days of paternal leave triples in 2020

In the first half of 2020, around one in four fathers in Norway has taken out 75 days or more out of parental benefits. 

That is a tripling from the same period last year and a new record.

In recent years, the father’s leave quota’s length has been through many changes, and from July 1, 2018, the quota was extended from 50 to 75 days. 

As fathers can use parental benefits over a period of three years, the effect of the expansion can be seen now, NAV reported.

The statistics show that 24% of fathers took 75 days or more, compared to only 8% in the same period last year.

Change in behavior

“We know that fathers’ use of parental benefits has changed almost immediately after each change in the father quota in recent years. 

Now we see that the same thing is happening even with the quota of 75 days. Overall, this means that fathers have never used as many days of parental benefits as they do now,” NAV director Hans Christian Holte noted.

The proportion of those who took out 50 days has gradually decreased after the father quota increased. 

Oslo’s fathers at the forefront

Less than 1% took out 50 days in the first half of 2020, compared with 18% in 2019 and 23% in 2018.

The fathers in Oslo and in the new counties of Troms and Finnmark are taking out the most days, with 29 and 26%, respectively. 

The lowest proportion was in Agder, where only 16% took out 75 days or more, and in Rogaland, where 18% took out 75 days or more.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today