As somewhat more women embraced parental leave, the numbers of working mothers decreased correspondingly between 2008 and 2010.
However the mothers did not stay at home for long. Over half of women had returned to work before their youngest child turned two. Meanwhile 90 percent of mothers of school-aged children were working.
In 2011, about a third of women with children aged under three were on parental leave. Many mothers in such circumstances—well over a third—were working. About a quarter were stay-at-home moms without any employment contracts.
Parents going on family leave are entitled to have their jobs back once they return to work. The employer cannot fire them after they have announced plans to go on parental leave. More information on parental leaves in Finland can be found in English here.
