Daddy Brad: Welcome back to The lab, for the next couple of weeks, we’re going to be bringing you episodes from beautiful downtown Stockholm, Sweden.
Daddy Clyde: Now why we come all the way to Stockholm, Sweden? Well because this country is widely said to be the most father friendly nation on earth because of its progressive family leave and particularly it’s unique paternity leave program.
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Daddy Brad: You know daddy Clyde, in the United States, we have the family medical leave act and that grants families that are having a baby twelve weeks of unpaid leave from their job and mostly moms take this, dads can too but it’s mostly maternity leave but it’s unpaid.
Daddy Clyde: In Sweden, by comparison, each family when a Swedish baby is born is allotted 480 days of state sponsored and paid family leave. starts with 80% of your salary, steps down over time, that’s given sixty days allotted specifically to dad and sixty days to mom, pretty generous offer.
Daddy Brad: Yeah and we found that it was common for moms to stay home the first eight months and then dads to take over and stay home the next eight months and some companies, some companies actually made up the difference between the 80% to 100% so some folks get 100% of their salary, been staying home eight months.
Daddy Clyde: So you’re given the option to stay home, get to know the baby, bond with the baby without making a professional sacrifice.
Daddy Brad: Yes, yes and none of the guys were worried that they were going to lose standing in their office but taken off the time because everybody does it and it seems to be widely accepted.
Male: So from September to the mid April, I was on paternity leave, it’s so great being home, you get to know him and you have to take not only the good times but the bad times.
Female: With me stronger, it makes us stronger and it makes it strong, it’s really the best for the family.
Male: I’d understand how is it to be at home everyday, taking care of them when they are happy and when they are not happy, specially when they are not happy, to do all those stuff, I don’t know what it’s, what it’s -- and she wants to know what it’s like to be at work. When I’m at home.
Male: I’ve been home since middle of December and I’ll be home all through the summer and I’d be back at working, oh this is a good thing for my pair, it’s going to be a, the star and I see. We are about a family after, I’ve been having this great opportunity to stay art home.
Daddy Clyde: Now you take that and you pair it with the Swedish day care policy? You’ve got an impressive kind of package there. In Sweden, every child over the age of one is guaranteed a spot in a day care, either private or state-subsidized, state-run and you’re guaranteed the spot, the most you’re going to pay for day care? $200 a month, that’s a cap maximum.
Daddy Brad: Yeah it’s amazing, we visited one in, comfortable in the United States, let’s say for that specific type of program, $800.
Daddy Clyde: Very impressive. If you got some thoughts about the Swedish system, we just have been describing to you, please leave us a comment on this video, go to dadlabs.com, go on the community, start a conversation thread, let us know what you think. Could we ever implement this in the United States?
Daddy Brad: Oh yes we could, it’s a good thing.
Daddy Clyde: That’s all for us in the lab.
Daddy Brad: Okay dude, meatball.
Daddy Clyde: I think I’d rather get a massage.
Daddy Brad: Aquavit
Daddy Clyde: Alright.
Daddy Brad: Maybe get some herring to go with that?
Daddy Clyde: Yes, pickles?
Daddy Brad: Pickles, yeah, the different flavors of herrings.
Daddy Clyde: I like that, let’s go.
Daddy Brad: Spicy kind, oh look at the big cruise ship --.
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