In Finland, Father’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of November. The typical way to celebrate the occasion is to have a nice family dinner. Usually fathers receive small gifts, too. A good book is definitely a timeless classic and perhaps a sweater or a box of chocolates. Sounds familiar? But have you heard about the Finnish paternity leave system? If not, you should keep reading.

Fathers in Finland may take it for granted, but it certainly isn’t self-evident for all dads worldwide – a fully paid paternity leave, that is. While Finnish working fathers have many things to be happy about, paternity allowance paid by the state is a key factor.

The paternity leave can last up to 9 weeks and during that time the father is not expected to work at all. The time is meant to be spent taking care of the baby. Besides the paternity leave there is a parental allowance system which allows the parents stay home with the baby up to 158 working days. The parents can decide how to divide the allowance days and who stays at home – so it isn’t automatically solely the mother’s task.

All fathers have the legal right for the paid leave regardless of the employer or the number of children in the family.

While being a parent is rewarding on its own, being able to spend your first steps as a father taking care of your baby instead of worrying about your bank account is a sweet deal, too.