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Bernie Sanders: Making America more Scandinavian would mark a gender equality breakthrough
Bernie Sanders wants America to look a lot more like Scandinavia, the land of lingonberries, herring, tasteful minimalism, paid family leave and living wages for fast food workers. The newly declared presidential contender told George Stephanopoulos over the weekend that he wants to lead a “political revolution” and make the United States more like Sweden or Denmark when it comes to healthcare, education and the social safety net.
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More than offer paternity leave, Sweden went one step further and incentivized it. Only then did the numbers start to turn around. And the change did more than just make relationships more equitable and encourage men to spend more time with their kids — it contributed to an increase in women’s earnings. A study published by the Swedish Institute of Labor Market Policy Evaluation found that a woman’s future earnings increased by an average of 7 percent for every month of paternity leave her partner took.
It’s a useful thing to keep in mind as the United States inches ever closer to doing the basics when it comes to working families. President Obama signed an executive order earlier this year to give federal workers paid leave and Democrats have doubled down on the push for the policy, but the lesson to take from the Swedish model is that the option isn’t enough, particularly as women in the United States still face pay disparities.
It’s simple common sense. If one parent in a two-parent straight household is going to stay home, it needs to be financially viable. But because women still make, on average, 78 cents on the dollar, the calculation may end up keeping them home while their partners keep working fulltime. Which is why laws like the Paycheck Fairness Act, a raise to the minimum wage and a more robust family leave proposal that creates an incentive for men to take it will be required to start changing the status quo.
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Stephanopoulos may be right that Sanders’ enthusiasm for Scandinavia will make him the target of Republican ridicule, but Sanders has got it straight: there’s a lot we can learn from countries like Sweden and Norway when it comes to advancing gender equality and addressing poverty.
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More than offer paternity leave, Sweden went one step further and incentivized it. Only then did the numbers start to turn around. And the change did more than just make relationships more equitable and encourage men to spend more time with their kids — it contributed to an increase in women’s earnings. A study published by the Swedish Institute of Labor Market Policy Evaluation found that a woman’s future earnings increased by an average of 7 percent for every month of paternity leave her partner took.
It’s a useful thing to keep in mind as the United States inches ever closer to doing the basics when it comes to working families. President Obama signed an executive order earlier this year to give federal workers paid leave and Democrats have doubled down on the push for the policy, but the lesson to take from the Swedish model is that the option isn’t enough, particularly as women in the United States still face pay disparities.
It’s simple common sense. If one parent in a two-parent straight household is going to stay home, it needs to be financially viable. But because women still make, on average, 78 cents on the dollar, the calculation may end up keeping them home while their partners keep working fulltime. Which is why laws like the Paycheck Fairness Act, a raise to the minimum wage and a more robust family leave proposal that creates an incentive for men to take it will be required to start changing the status quo.
....
Stephanopoulos may be right that Sanders’ enthusiasm for Scandinavia will make him the target of Republican ridicule, but Sanders has got it straight: there’s a lot we can learn from countries like Sweden and Norway when it comes to advancing gender equality and addressing poverty.
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7 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
replacing Wal-Mart with IKEA wouldn't be that bad 
Watch him win.
