„In the year 2000 Iceland passed a very progressive law on parental leave ensuring both parents the right to a three month parental leave, in addition to three months that they can share. The aim of the law was to ensure children the care of both their parents and enable both parents to have a career and a family.” These are the words of Guðný Björk Eydal, Professor at the Faculty of Social Work who has studied the real effect of these laws.
“I have performed three surveys among parents to evaluate the effects,” says Eydal. “The first survey was made before the law took effect in 2007 and the last one was performed last summer in collaboration with Ingólfur V. Gíslason, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, and Ásdís A. Arnalds, Doctoral Student.”
The study has value in more than one field according to Eydal. “It has important international value, because other people look to Iceland as an example of good practice in this area. The study shows that with systematic support it is possible to create opportunities for both parents to care for their children, and work outside of the home. The study also provides the authorities with information on the group that is not able to take parental leave and analyse the obstacles they meet.”
Eydal says that the spark for the first study was the importance of mapping the situation before such radical changes took place in Iceland. “The international interest concerning the results of the legislation here in Iceland is massive, and great demand for knowledge on the impact of these laws abroad as Iceland has taken a certain lead in this field making Icelandic fathers role models in this respect.”
The preliminary results are now available according to Eydal, and they show that the gap between parents is narrowing and an increasing number of children enjoy the care of both their parents during the first three years of their lives. “The results show, without a doubt that the legislation gives the intended results,” says Eydal.
Eydal says that social work is concerned with family protection from every angle. “The importance of ensuring parents the conditions to take care of their children from birth is undisputed.”
