Presentations by Prof Marta Szebehely, Professor of Social Work, Stockholm University, Sweden and Dr Outi Jolanki, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Jyväskylä, Finland Carers and Work-Care Reconciliation International Conference University of Leeds, 13th August 2013

1. Work-care reconciliation in the
Nordic countries
Marta Szebehely, Stockholm University:
Family carers in the Swedish welfare state:
challenges and coping strategies
Outi Jolanki, University of Jyväskylä:
Family carers in the Finnish welfare state:
challenges and coping strategies
Some reflexions on similarities and
differences between the two Nordic countries

2. Based mainly on contributions in
Kröger & Yeandle, eds:
Combining Paid Work and Family Care
• Jolanki, Szebehely & Kauppinen: Family
rediscovered? Working carers of older people
in Finland and Sweden.
• Miettinen, Engwall & Teittinen: Parent-carers
of disabled children in Finland and Sweden:
social excluded by a labour of love.
• Leinonen & Sand: Reconciling partner-care
and paid work in Finland and Sweden:
challenges and coping strategies.

3. The Swedish welfare state – the idea(l) of a
universal ‘caring state’
• Generous provision of publicly financed high
quality services – no means-testing
• The responsibility to levy taxes and to provide
care – and since 2009 to support family carers
– rests with the municipalities
• Services directed to and used by all social
groups
• Accessible, affordable (also for the poor) and
attractive (also for middle class)

4. Huge variation in employment rates of
middle aged women in Europe
36,0
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
SE
EE
FI
DK
LV
UK
LT
PT
DE
CY
NL
IE
FR
EU27
BG
RO
CZ
ES
LU
AT
EL
HU
BE
IT
SI
SK
PL
MT
% of women 55-64 years old in paid employment, 2007 (Eurostat)

5. The more resources for long-term care  the
more middle-aged women in paid work
R² = 0.54
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
ES
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
Employment rate, women 55-64 years
Public resources for LTC as % of GDP
PT
SE
NL
BE
UK
AT
LU
IE
PL
IT
DE
EL
FI
DK
CZ FR
HU

6. The general idea of family care in the
Swedish society
• Has to be voluntarily chosen from both parties
involved
• No legal responsibility for family to care for
adults
• Most people prefer formal care services to
care from family members (other than
spouses)

7. Is family care or formal care the best option for
an elderly parent living alone?
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Eurobarometer survey 2007
Sweden
Denmark
Netherlands
Finland
France
UK
Germany
Greece
Live with child Child visit and help Home care or nursing home

8. The general idea of family care in the
Swedish society
• Has to be voluntarily chosen from both parties
involved
• No legal responsibility for family to care for
adults
• Most people prefer formal care services to
care from family members (other than
spouses)
• Well-developed care services are seen as the
best form of support for both those who need
care and for their family members

9. Services: different trends for older persons and for
persons with disabilities
Services for older people
• Social Services Act 1982
• Policy goal: reasonable
level of living
• Declining resources,
declining coverage –
especially residential care
since 2000: every fourth
bed has disappeared
• Increase of family care – re-familisation
Services for disabled people
• Disability Act 1994
• Policy goal: good living
conditions
• Increasing resources,
increasing coverage, increasing
generosity – especially
personal assistance: 16,000
individuals on average 115
hrs/w (no user fees)
• De-familising potential –
increase the independence of
both user and family members

10. Family care in Sweden
• Of working age population : 15% provide help at
least weekly for an old or disabled family
member/friend
• Most common in age 45-64 (20-27%)
• Most help a parent but those helping a spouse or a
disabled child help more hours
• Most combine paid work and caregiving
• But 80,000 women and 20,000 men have reduced
their working hours, stopped working or retired
earlier than planned for beacuse of caring
responsibilities

11. Payments for family care for older people
(mainly):
• For comparison:
– 160,000 65+ receive home care and 90,000 65+ are in residential
care;
– 760,000 individuals 20-64 yrs old care for an old or disabled family
member or friend once a week or more.
• Care allowances - since 1940s at LA discretion. €100-500/month.
Declined from 21,000 in 1980 to 5,000 today.
• Employment as kin caregiver- since 1950s at LA discretion.
Declined from 24,000 in 1980 to 2,000. Ordinary workers rights
but no right to leave from/return to other job.
• End-of-life leave - since 1989. National legislation, 80% of lost
income, max 20 weeks, right to return to work. Used by 11,000,
average 2 weeks.

12. Payments for family care for younger people
(mainly):
• For comparison:
– 70,000 under 65 receive home based care and 30,000 live in supported housing;
– 760,000 individuals 20-64 yrs old care for an old or disabled family member or friend
once a week or more.
• Childcare allowance for disabled child up to 18. National legislation.
Average €500/month. Increased from 20,000 in 1994 to 46,000 today
• Personal assistance - since 1994. National legislation. Used by 16,000
severely disabled persons, average >115 hours/week. One quarter of
assistants are family members. Ordinary workers rights but no right to
leave from/return to other job.
• All schemes are used mainly by women
• Reduced coverage of both services and cash payments for care of older
people, increased for care of younger disabled people

13. Employment related policies
• Hardly any rights – only end-of-life leave
• When caring for an adult:
– No right to flexible or reduced hours
– No right to time off for emergencies
– No right to return to work after period of care (except for after
’end-of-life leave’)
• Very different from employment policies for parents
of small children:
– Paid parental leave until child is 1.5 yrs
– Paid temporary leave for sick child (up to 60 days per year)
until 12 yrs (21 yrs if child is disabled)
– Right to keep full-time job and work part time until child is
8 ; reduced hours not paid.
– Mainly used by women – risk of structural discrimination

14. Conclusions
• Family carers recently discovered in policy and research
– but ’working daugthers’ and ’working spouses’ still
quite invisible
• Working carers have few rights, but end-of-life leave and
the personal assistance scheme are unique and
important rights
• Formal care services are preferred by those in need of
care but family care is increasing due to declining
services (for older people)
• Care leaves and payments for care are controversial
issues (gender traps?)
• Carers’ organisations campaign for better services rather
than for direct support for carers