(Photo by Gabin Vallet on Unsplash)
Having time for leisure activities, family, and personal well-being is highly valued and encouraged by employers.
Sweden ranks fifth on the list of OECD countries with the fewest working hours, with an average of 1,440 hours per year, compared to the OECD average of 1,752 hours per year [1].
Family and Parental Leave
Sweden has high ambitions for equality, and parental leave is shared between parents. It's common for parents to leave work early to pick up children from preschool or school, as this responsibility is naturally shared between parents. Schools offer after-school activities to care for children (called Fritids) until parents can collect them. Parents have 480 days of parental leave to share (390 days are salary-based, and 90 days are at a minimum level), which can be divided equally between two parents, with 240 days each. If there are two parents, 90 days are reserved for one parent and cannot be transferred [2]. When your child is ill, you can take a type of leave for childcare, known as VAB [3].
Fitness encouraged in workplace
In Sweden, it's acceptable to take time out from your lunch break to exercise at the gym, and many workplaces subsidise fitness activities with a certain amount of money per year. Sweden ranks second among European countries, after Finland, in terms of exercise and physical activity [3]
In other words, there are excellent conditions in place for you to achieve a good work-life balance in Sweden, even if you have a family and children, allowing you to combine your job and career with your personal life.
