Number of fathers taking parental leave doubles in five years

In recent years, the number of fathers taking parental leave in Finland has surged, with the summer months now being the peak season. According to benefits agency Kela, last August saw over 18,000 fathers receiving parental leave payments, comprising a third of all recipients. Just five years prior, men made up only 26 percent of recipients, with fewer than 13,000 fathers on leave in March.

Mothers, however, continue to utilize parental leave consistently throughout the year, taking longer and more frequent periods compared to fathers. Many families opt for summer leave so they can bond before the child begins early childhood education or to ensure the child starts daycare in August or September. Fathers may also take leave after the mother to allow the child to begin daycare later in the autumn.

Associate Professor of Sociology Satu Helske from the University of Turku attributes the summer peak to Finland's busy birth months and fathers taking leave immediately after their child's birth. Some fathers may also schedule leave to align with their employer's preferences, though the extent to which this influences the summer trend remains unclear.

Kela's research indicates that men accounted for nearly 23 percent of all paid parental leave days in 2025, a significant jump from over 10 percent five years earlier. This increase is largely attributed to Finland's family leave reform, introduced in August 2022, which sought to encourage fathers to take more leave and provided families greater flexibility in sharing leave periods. Research also shows fathers are increasingly opting to take leave independently, rather than solely alongside the other parent.

Helske notes that fathers are most likely to take parental leave when they are first-time parents and that workplace culture also plays a crucial role. If one father takes a longer parental leave, it can inspire other fathers to follow suit.