The visibility of Fathers - the advantages of being a Mum in Norway (view from a casual observer)

There are many things I like about living in Norway, and one of these is maybe a bit strange as I am not a parent myself, but I really like that to an observer you see almost as many Dads with their kids as Mums.

Before moving to Oslo I hadn´t lived in a big city for a while, its over 5 years since I moved out of Liverpool, 7 since I lived in Manchester and 10 since I spent 4 months in Central London so maybe things have changed in the UK. But when I walk to work it is really quite noticeable that as many Dads seem to be involved in getting their young children to school/kindergarten as Mums. It is admittedly very rare you see both parents together with their children on a weekday, which seems to be saved for weekends. If it was the odd one or two fathers I wouldn´t notice but from a casual observer, it does seem to be a 50/50 split. It may be because I live in an affluent area of the city and therefore both parents are working, but when I was living in the UK, I very rarely saw Dads on their own with their kid.

From talking to colleagues, I know that many of my male colleagues make time to spend with their kids on their own, no matter whether the kids are 16 months or 16 years. Whether it’s a one-on-one situation, or them whisking all the kids off to spend a week on their own giving Mum a break, I know someone whose husband has just taken their year old daughter away for a couple of weeks. Flexible working hours with core hours of 9-3 also make it possible for parents to balance childcare, with one parent coming into the office for 7am, whilst the other takes the kids to kindergarten, then the parent on early shift leaving at 3pm so they can pick them up.  Additionally during school holidays it is not uncommon to have parents bring their kids into work, and again I know one colleague who will bring one of her two children with her, whilst her husband takes the other to his place of work.

These flexible working hours, and the largely work to live, opposed to live to work ethic means that family really does come first. This is also reflected in the fact that my colleagues and I are very rarely asked to travel on weekends, and working weekends is discouraged unless absolutely necessary.

Norway is frequently rated the best country in the world to be a Mum, and it´s easy to see why. Maternity pay in Norway is 56 weeks (13 months) at 80% full pay or 46 weeks (10.5 months) at 100% pay.  Of this fathers are encouraged to take 12 weeks, and if that’s not taken it´s lost. They, fathers, also have the option to take two weeks unpaid immediately after the birth although most companies will pay this anyway. I think that if I did decide I wanted children, I couldn´t be better placed.

With the time given for a child to bond with its Dad, it´s no wonder that you see children with just their Dads. The fact that rates of divorce in Norway are as high as in the UK, just under 50%, makes this even more encouraging because it means that fathers are not absent. Family does come first and work is work. And isn´t that the way it should be?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/global-motherhood-the-bes_n_1475607.html#s934376&title=1_Norway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_leave#Europe

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/global-motherhood-the-bes_n_1475607.html#s934376&title=1_Norway