In the United States, parents say that childcare is one of the chief struggles in accessing employment.
Grandparents have also found themselves struggling with living costs and may not be available to babysit as the price of daycare rises.
A structure similar to what Sweden is now offering for grandparents and childcare sounds like a dream solution for some families.
Sweden Adds Another Layer Of Support For Grandparents Babysitting
Sweden was already leading the way in parental leave, replacing “maternity leave” with “parental leave” in 1974. That was a few years before the United States would even pass legislation protecting women from being fired for simply being pregnant!
The country didn’t stop there, though. Now, they’re making paid leave available to whoever is doing the childcare, even if it isn’t the mother or father.
The new law allows transferring a portion of that paid leave to a family friend or to a grandparent, ensuring that the family has childcare and the freedom to balance work and life as they find most appropriate.
Childcare In The U.S. Is Eating Up Parents’ Pay
According to Marketwatch, child care costs in the United States have increased by around 263% since 1990.
By contrast, the minimum wage has gone from $3.80 an hour in 1990 to $7.25 per hour as of 2009, according to the Department of Labor‘s tracker. That means it’s increased by barely 90% in the same three-and-a-half decades.
By Statista’s measures, the median household income has only increased from about $64k per year in 1990 to about $80k as of 2023, meaning a typical U.S. family’s income is only about 25% more than it was over 30 years ago.
That’s a lot of numbers and percentages, but it all adds up to one conclusion: childcare costs have increased much faster than wages, and families cannot afford it.
And, of course, that’s assuming you can even find a daycare with openings.
Parental Leave In The U.S. Is Minimal Compared To Other Countries
Parental leave allows new parents time off to bond with and care for a newborn or a newly adopted child. It also leaves time for someone who just gave birth to recover physically.
However, the amount of paid leave a new parent can take will vary by state and employer. When Shortlister collected statistics about parental leave, they found that most states don’t protect paid leave for fathers, and only about 13% of women in the private sector get paid maternity leave.
Furthermore, almost a quarter of women returned to work within two weeks of giving birth, and only about half of women without college degrees took as much as six weeks off. The number of companies offering paid leave actually decreased after 2020, and no, paid leave is not transferrable to others.
Paid Parental Leave In Sweden
In Sweden, the current state of parental leave is a total of 480 days for a family, 90 days of which is exclusively held for each parent, in families where there are two parents. Otherwise, a single parent can use the full 480 days.
Once a child turns one, they’re eligible for nursery school, and most parents return to work after their paid leave.
Compensation’s also available when parents have to take time off for a sick child.
What’s New: Transferring Paid Leave To Grandparents
New this year, parents can transfer part of their leave to a grandparent or family friend, so they can return to work sooner. Euronews reported:
“New parental leave rules allow parents to transfer up to 45 days of their paid leave to someone who isn’t the child’s legal guardian as long as the person is insured for parental allowance, which most people in Sweden are. For single parents, up to 90 days can be transferred per child from the total 480 days of paid leave.”
For retirees, the amount they would be paid is based on their pension amount.
Parents In The U.S. Need Childcare Solutions, Desperately
For an option that involves transferring paid leave to grandparents to be on the table in the U.S., we’d have to start with guaranteeing parents paid leave, and so far, the country shows no sign of rushing to do so.
At this point, though, the costs of raising a child are actively driving more adults to skip having children altogether. To reverse that, something will have to change, whether it’s making childcare more accessible, raising wages, or offering an alternative option.
As it stands, too many American families can’t afford childcare — and grandparents can’t afford to step in and fill that gap for free.
