They enjoyed the full parental leaves they were entitled to in order to raise a healthy baby, and they freely asked their employers for part-time hours for periods of time when their children were young. People throughout the Nordic countries are far less concerned that such requests will reflect badly with their employers or have negative repercussions for their careers. The reason is quite simple: In the Nordic countries the basics of health care and other social benefits and essential services simply do not depend on one’s employment to the degree they do in the United States.
