Family matters and education

Family matters

Mothers in Finland have free access to special advisory and health care services during pregnancy and after giving birth. The advisory service attends to the general health of mothers and their babies and provides guidance in motherhood skills. Preparatory classes are arranged for expectant mothers and fathers. The state also provides a maternity package to every expectant mother containing the basic necessities for care of the newborn child as well as various baby clothes.

Maternity benefit is paid for 105 days and earnings-related parental leave allowance fro 158 more. Although parental leave may be taken by mothers or by fathers, it's very unusual for the latter to do so. On the other hand one half of all fathers exercise the right to take paternity leave for a period not exceeding three weeks.

When a child falls ill

Either of the parents are entitled to stay at home to care for the child for the first three years and then to return to their previous employment. A mother or father exercising this right receives an allowance for doing so. An employee may also exercise the right to partial care leave by reducing the working day to six hours until the child has finished the first autumn term of the basic school. Compulsory schooling in Finland begins in August of the year in which the child reaches the age of seven years.

Every child in Finland under school age has a legal right to day-care and a child of six years is entitled to pre-school education. The availability of nursery care is one of the most important factors enabling women to take paid employment.

According to the Employment Contracts Act, parents are entitled to be absent from work in order to care for a sick child. It's possible to take up to four working days off to care for a child under ten years of age who is suddenly taken ill.

The Finnish schooling system

During the nine years of compulsory, free school education, children are also provided with school meals, general health care services and dental care free of charge. Child benefit is paid to to the parent or guardian of all children under 17 years of age.

There are different levels in the Finnish Schooling system

• Pre-primary education

• Nine-year basic education, also known as comprehensive school. Children permanently living in Finland have a statutory right and obligation to complete the comprehensive schools syllabus.

• Vocational education and training: Additional voluntary basic education, upper secondary schools and initial vocational education and training. VET is also referred as post-compulsory level of education.

• Universities and polytechnics (universities of applyied sciences)

• Adult education which ecompasses self-motivated education, staff training and labour market training.