Equality Striving in the family can provide more sick days – World Today

Social Insurance Agency’s new report “Equality and sick” shows that the traditional division of labor with the man as the breadwinner and the woman in charge of the work at home offers the lowest risk for sickness absence.

The Agency’s study concludes First-time parents living in situations “can be described as equal or untraditional, or parents who are dual-working, all have higher sickness absence than those who have a traditional division of labor with the man as the main breadwinner.” All other configurations than that described as “traditional” in which the woman takes the main responsibility for the home and the husband’s income, a higher risk for sickness absence for both women and men.

“This applies to situations where one of the parents largely has double workloads, or are equal and are trying to share the work and responsibilities of home and children, or violate the norm by man taking more home responses, “writes Laura Hartman Insurance Director, Social Insurance, the debate site in Swedish daily.

She believes that “it costs to break with the prevailing standards” and that the male norm is still to “have their primary interest and responsibility at work.”
Despite the increased risk of illness mean government representative that it is good continue to pursue a development in which parents share equally. It may be “in the short term provide some increase in sick leave if no changes occur in general. But in the long term is a shared responsibility for home and children essential for the economic inequality between women and men equalized,” writes Laura Hartman.

Susanne Nyman Furugård is one of the driving forces in the roll call “sustainable family policy now.” She was not surprised of the Social Insurance Agency report.
– Insurance Agency’s own figures here indicate increased absenteeism among parents who try to live according to the gender norms preaching for parents. While those who choose themselves and decide among themselves to achieve a more healthy balance, says one.

She reacts strongly to the conclusion of the debate article from the Social Insurance Agency.
– Then do an ideological equivocation and trying to come up it is politically correct, that still will continue to run on this line even though it will cost even more for some time. It is evident that this is a kind of faith.

But is not it important to try to change the unequal use of parental leave?
– This is just an interpretation what you mean by equality, that will work as much and take as much, or as little, care of the children. There are other ways to go. It has so far totally devalued work to care for their children. It is considered worth nothing if you do it yourself, just as others do. Now we have to seriously consider if the starting point is wrong, says Susanne Nyman Furugård.