新奇事件簿 芬兰新生儿父母可享7个月产假（在线收听）

Finland is giving new parents more time to spend with their babies. The Finnish government has decided to give mothers and fathers seven months of parental leave. This means Finland will almost double the amount of its maternity leave and paternity leave. The new Family Leave Policy will give 164 days to each parent. This is about seven months. Parents can also transfer up to 69 of their own days to their partner. This means it is possible for one parent to take nine months of parental leave. For single parents, Finland is giving all 328 days to the mother or father. Finland's current parental leave gives four months for maternity leave, and two months for fathers.

芬兰将给新生儿父母更多时间陪伴他们的孩子。芬兰政府已经决定给母亲和父亲7个月的产假。这意味着芬兰的产假和陪产假将增加近一倍。新的产假政策将给每位父母164天的假期，将近3个月。父母们也可以将自己69天的假体转给伴侣。这意味着父母中的一位可以享受9个月的产假。对于单身父母，芬兰会将所有328天的假期给母亲或父亲。芬兰目前的产假为四个月，父亲的是两个月。

Finland's government said the new rules were necessary to help young families. Finland's Minister of Social Affairs and Health explained why the country is introducing the new rules. She said: "The model guarantees the child a place at the centre of family benefits, and it promotes wellbeing and gender equality." It will also help to increase the country's declining birth rate. The number of babies born in Finland has dropped for the past nine years. Last year, Finland had the lowest number of babies born in the country since 1868. Finland's neighbour Sweden has the most generous leave policy, offering 240 days per parent. The USA has no national paid leave for mothers or fathers.

芬兰政府表示新规定对于帮助年轻家庭是必要的。芬兰社会事务和卫生部长解释了国家推行新规定的原因。她说到：“该模式保证了儿童在家庭福利的中心地位，并促进了福祉和性别平等。”这也将帮助提高国家不断下降的出生率。过去九年，芬兰的出生率下降。去年，芬兰的出生率是自1868年以来最低的。芬兰的邻国瑞典拥有最宽松的产假政策，为每位父母提供240天假期。美国没有全国性的带薪产假。