Finnish defense chief to take advantage of paternity leave
Finland’s defense minister has made a stirring argument for his country’s new gender-neutral parental leave system when he announced he would be stepping aside in few weeks to take care of his 6-month-old son HELSINKI -- Finland’s defense minister made a stirring argument for his country’s new gender-neutral parental leave system when he announced he would be stepping aside in few weeks to take care of his 6-month-old son, reassuring the nation that it would be in good hands amid a regional security crisis. While most Finns have shrugged off Antti Kaikkonen’s decision to take leave and the policy is in line with those in neighboring countries, it’s still not common for male politicians in Nordic states to make use of their parental leave. “Children remain small only for a moment, and I want to remember it in ways other than just photos,” Kaikkonen, a 48-year-old father of two, said on Twitter last week in making the argument for two months of parental leave starting Jan. 6. The news ca...