Family Policies in Finland

Abstract

In Finland, family policy is based on universal child benefits, parenthood allowances, and a publicly supported day care system for small children. The present system is a result of a long evolution throughout the 20th century, for in Finland, modern family policy started slowly. Nowadays Finland differs from countries with a conservative and liberal model in that it has made investments in measures to reconcile work and family life. The aim of this paper is to describe the historical development and the main elements of the Finnish family policy system and to evaluate how changes in family policy have affected the well-being of families with children. The recession in the 1990s changed the favourable development of family policy system in Finland. Cuts had to be made in every social policy sector. The largest cuts in the family policy field were made towards the end of the depression. The reductions in family support indicated a clear change in the direction of family policy. Changes in family policy had an influence on the well-being of children. Social trends in the 1990s strained the livelihood of parents with small children in terms of their income, working life and services at their disposal.