Norway+and+Sweden

These governments use policies that help parents balance work and family life to encourage more children.

In Sweden, 18 months of leave are granted to the parents (paid for by the government) and the work schedules are often very flexible. Also in Sweden, the number of women working is high so gender equality has kept women from feeling as though it must be a choice between career and family. Even with all of this, the fertility rate in Sweden is still only 1.75. Even though Sweden has generous family policies, the fertility rate still has not risen drastically. This is possibly because between 1992 and 1997 there was a "slack" in economy and so many people postponed having children. After this the fertility rate dropped and the country hasn't been able to raise it much since.

In Norway there are similar family policies. Mothers get 12 months off of work, and either 80% percent pay for these months or 10 full months pay. This concept was introduced in 1993, and because of it the fertility rate has stayed pretty constant at 1.8 which is higher than most European countries. Fathers can also take this leave off, thus endorsing the idea that not only the mothers should care for the children. Fathers are even required to take four weeks off or both parents lose those four weeks. This is known as the 'daddy quota'. After giving birth, the mother must take six weeks maternity leave, but after that the remaining leave can be divided between the parents as they choose. Also, employers are kept happy because the leaves are paid with taxes. The National Insurance Act in 1956 ensures that there is paid leave for the Norwegians. The healthcare in Norway also helps the fertility rates of women. One hundred percent of births in Norway are attended by skilled personnel and there are very few maternal deaths per 100,000 (16). Though the gender equality will not be perfect until the mother and father must, by law, each have 50 and 50 percent of the parental leave, it has still improved greatly. From 1995-2002 sixty-nine percent of women over 15 were economically active.

Table of Norway's Fertility Rates (prognosis) ||= 2015 (prognosis) ||= 2050 (prognosis) || (Average number of children) || 2.60 || 2.84 || 2.72 || 1.81 || 1.80 || 1.85 || 1.80 || 1.78 || 1.85 ||
 * Year ||= 1955 ||= 1960 ||= 1970 ||= 1980 ||= 1990 ||= 2000 ||= 2005
 * Total fertility rate