Swedish kids are confident in their happy childhood
1. Special attention for pregnant women
Months before the baby is born, Swedish mothers (and fathers!) attend free childbirth preparation courses. There they are prepared for the big day, taught breathing techniques, provided with psychologists, and introduced to experienced parents. If the expectant mother's work involves hazardous conditions—for example, in construction—or physical exertion, she is entitled to take paid maternity leave earlier.
The state covers these expenses starting from the third month of pregnancy until the last days before childbirth. The benefit amounts to about 80% of the salary and is paid by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.
Many hospitals have special apartments for women in labor, where they stay with their loved ones on a full-board basis for the first days after childbirth. This allows doctors and nurses to devote more attention to the newborn.
2. Going back to childhood at state expense
Perhaps the most telling example of state support for families is the right of Swedish parents to take years of parental leave. By law, 480 working days of paid leave are provided for childcare—for newborns or adopted children. Compared to other countries, this is indeed a lot. 390 of these days are paid at 80% of income, but no more than 952 kronor (about 100 euros) per day. The remaining 90 days are paid at a fixed rate of 250 kronor (26 euros) per day. Unemployed individuals are also eligible for parental leave benefits.
Parents may use the paid parental leave days until the child reaches 8 years of age. Leave days are added and accumulated with the birth of each subsequent child. As a result, in families with several children, parental leave can last for many years. If those days have been used up and parents still do not want to return to work from the nursery, the law allows them to reduce their working day by a quarter—though at their own expense.
3. Motherhood and fatherhood—both are important
A typical scene in Sweden at any café or park: young fathers on a leisurely stroll. Coffee in one hand, the other pushing a stroller, and in the stroller—a baby, pacifier, bottle. And a note from the wife: don't forget to feed!
Look into any Swedish sandbox: mothers and fathers indulging their children have long been equal in number. The family roles common in the last century—father the breadwinner, mother at the hearth—have completely faded away in Sweden.
Gender equality is strictly observed in everything, including the provision of parental leave. The 480 paid days allocated for childcare can be split equally between parents or distributed as they see fit. Moreover, each spouse is personally entitled to at least three months. Even the most inveterate workaholic cannot simply transfer his months to his wife: you must personally stay with the infant or forfeit the state money.
4. Monthly child allowance for every child
In Sweden, in addition to paid parental leave, parents also receive a monthly child allowance (barnbidrag), which covers part of the child's expenses until the age of 16. In 2015, each family with one child received 1,050 Swedish kronor per month (about 105 euros). If there are two or more children, additional supplements (flerbarnstillägg) are added on top of the regular allowance.
For example, a family with six children can expect not only a total allowance of 6,300 Swedish kronor (about 630 euros) but also a monthly supplement of 4,114 kronor (about 410 euros). With an average monthly salary of 32,000 kronor (about 3,320 euros) before tax, this state bonus is quite tangible.
5. Subsidized preschool, free school
In many families, the child allowance is spent on optional preschool education for the child (förskola)—it costs no more than 1,287 kronor per month (about 130 euros). Later, money for school will not be needed in any case. From the first lesson in preparatory class at age six to the last bell at nineteen, all secondary education, including school lunches, is free in Sweden. University studies at Swedish institutions are also free, but only for students from EU/EEA countries and Switzerland.
6. Affordable healthcare
Almost all medical services, including dentistry, are free for children and youth up to age 20 (minor differences depend on individual municipalities). In a country with a not-so-warm climate, all children receive vitamin D in the first two years of life.
Upon reaching age 20, a visit to a general practitioner costs 100–200 Swedish kronor (about 10–20 euros). A visit to a specialist costs no more than 350 kronor (35 euros). What if there are reasons for frequent doctor visits? Swedes are protected from ruinous medical expenses by the state, which sets a ceiling for individual costs (högkostnadsskydd): 1,100 kronor (about 110 euros) per year. Once this amount is reached, the patient uses medical services free of charge for the rest of the year.
7. Stroller instead of a transit pass
Urban environments, public buildings, ground transportation—any infrastructure in Sweden is designed from the start with everyone's needs in mind: an ordinary family with a stroller and a person in a wheelchair.
In large cities, such as Stockholm, parents with a child in a stroller can use buses for free. While your fellow passengers traveling light show the driver their tickets, you easily wheel the baby into the bus through the middle doors. Right opposite is a space specially designated for strollers. Simple and convenient.
8. Story after story
At a loss trying to entertain a child? How about a solution tested by time and every Swedish grandmother—books?
You can go your whole life without ever visiting Sweden – and still be familiar with its most famous inhabitants since childhood. With Karlsson, who lives on the roof. With Pippi Longstocking, mistress of Villa Villekulla. Or with the boy Nils, who set off on a journey with wild geese to faraway Lapland. All these are characters from the luminaries of Swedish children's literature: the world-famous Astrid Lindgren and Selma Lagerlöf, who was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Lindgren's heroes can be met in Sweden not only on the pages of her books, but also in real life: at the Junibacken fairy-tale museum in Stockholm or in the huge amusement park "Astrid Lindgren's World", located near her hometown of Vimmerby in the south of the country.
Meanwhile, new generations have grown up in the country, not only of children, but also of book heroes created by contemporary authors. The hapless little boy Alfons Åberg by writer Gunilla Bergström, the inseparable friends inventor Pettson and his cat Findus, the brainchild of illustrator and writer Sven Nordqvist – and also the detective adventures of young sleuths Lasse and Maja in the books by Martin Widmark.
Swedish traditions of children's literature date back to the 19th century and continue to this day. In 2014 alone, more than two thousand books for children and teenagers were published in the country.
9. With children – everywhere
From paths and ramps specially for strollers – to amusement parks and playgrounds for every taste and age. Sweden is a country where childhood seems never to leave. Perhaps because for parents themselves, it is not a burden but a joy.
It all starts with small things: most shopping centers and libraries have parent-and-child rooms, changing tables, and parking spaces for strollers. Going to a restaurant with a child is a common thing: almost every place has high chairs, and many have a space in the restroom where you can change the child.
10. If the little one gets sick
Picking up children from school early, taking a couple of days off while they recover – Swedish employers always strive to be understanding of parents' concerns. Even when staying at home, for example, due to a child's illness, Swedes receive 80% of their salary.
If the child is under twelve, parents are entitled to additional "child" leave (tillfällig föräldrapenning) for up to four months. For equally long leave with older children – from 12 to 15 years old – a doctor's certificate is required.
Parents of children with disabilities or those who are ill for more than six months can count on additional payments from the state until the child turns nineteen.