Tag: Gothenburg

Hanging out with the ‘latte papas’ in Gothenburg, West Sweden

My feature about a family-travel trip to West Sweden is in the new issue of Family Traveller magazine — just out [see image at foot of post].

It proved to be the girls’ favourite trip so far but, for me, it also proved to be a thought- provoking one.

We spent some time in Gothenburg with Henric and his son, Marcel [pictured above].

We were talking about the enlightened attitude Sweden takes to parental leave and the rights of fathers to bond with their children.

This was a sidebar to the main feature but worth highlighting, I feel, here on my personal blog.

Swedish buzzword

First Abba, then IKEA. Now there’s a new buzzword in Sweden: latte papas — fathers on leave with pre-school children.

The term refers to the way that Sweden is taking an increasingly enlightened attitude to the role of dads in bringing up children.

It lead the world in 1974 with plans to introduce equal paternity leave, giving both parents the chance of time at home with their children.

Sweden extended its ‘daddy quota’ on January 1, 2016, so that all new fathers are now automatically allocated 90 days’ paid leave on a use-it-or-lose-it basis.

Fathers can also take up to 280 days at 80 per cent of their regular salary with up to 12 years to use up the allowance.

The abundance of fathers with buggies on the streets of cities like Gothenburg has given rise to latte-papa cafes, galleries and play centres, particularly in the hip Linne and Haga districts.

Male bonding

Henric Stahl is taking nine months leave on a part-time basis from his job at a Swedish TV channel to spend time with his first son, 19-month-old Marcel.

“It may seem like I’m doing my partner, Jemina, a social worker, a favour by taking leave but, really, it’s my right to be with him,” explains Henric over lunch in downtown Gothenburg.

“Sweden’s strong feminist movement from the Seventies has been very positive in driving men’s rights, too.”

Henric and Marcel meet up with other dads twice a week at a play centre run by a local church.

“By taking leave,” he adds, “I empathise better in my relationship, I have a stronger relationship with my son than I ever had with his father.

“And I’m even more productive at work for having this time and space.”

“The one thing I’m not sure about,” he smiles, “is the term ‘latte papa’.

“Far from drinking coffee all day, we’re very much a bunch of working, stay-at-home dads.”

Gender equality

The UK came 12th out of 22 countries in the Fatherhood Institute’s Fairness in Families Index (FIFI) 2016, which brings together a basket of measures to compare countries’ progress towards the goal of gender equality.

The top five countries in the 2016 index were all Scandinavian with Sweden taking the top spot.

Parental leave cost the Swedish state £2.2bn in 2015, largely funded by high payroll taxes levied on Swedish companies, according to BBC News.

West Sweden story in Family Traveller magazine

 

Just back: Gothenburg with dad for Family Traveller magazine

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Another half term, another family escape.

We did the Barbie cruise and the cycling trip to Holland, both of which went on to win travel-writing awards.

Last week I took the girls to West Sweden for four nights of city-break fun coupled with some time out on the archipelago.

See a Flickr gallery of images from the trip.

Farmyard fun

The highlight of the trip was definitely the chance to spend the night on a family farm in the countryside.

The Lekander family [pictured above] made us feel really welcome.

It was a travel story for Family Traveller magazine — check out the full article in a future issue.

Latte papas

But it was also a chance to talk to Swedish dads about how liberal Scandinavia values the role of fathers, recently passing new legislation to increase paternity leave.

Sweden, we found, puts family first and, boldly, strives to make it easier for fathers to spend time with their children.

We spent a morning hanging out with the so-called ‘latte papas’ Gothenburg and, as Henric Stahl [pictured below with 19-month-old son Marcel], told us:

“We’ve come to the point whereby, if you’re not taking your full paternity leave, then you have to explain yourself.”

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Even Caligari, a stalwart of Swedish kids’ TV, whose magic show we caught at Gothenburg’s Alfie Atkins Children’s Museum, bases his act around family values.

Watch a short Vimeo of Calgary below.

Mojo rising

In an age of top ten lists and mindless-filler content, it was great, as a writer, to get a commission with scope to address real issues in the context of an upbeat travel story.

It has revived my writing mojo.

And, better still, the girls had a ball.

So, England 0. Sweden 1 then.

What did you think of this story? Post your comments below.

Liked this? Try also West Sweden: Folklore traditions of midsummer.

Just back: midsummer in Gothenburg

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I was back West Sweden last week.

It was a summer-themed trip to Gothenburg and the archipelago to fulfil a raft of commissions for print and online.

This time, I spent more time in Gothenburg and a morning talking herring with Nils-Gunnar Johansson [pictured above], Curator of the Herring Museum in Kladesholmen. No, really.

The stories are coming soon but, last time, I was there to write a piece for the Weekend FT.

Here’s an extract:

Swedes take midsummer very seriously — think New Year’s Eve and a public-holiday weekend all rolled into one.

They down tools and head for their summer houses on the coast for a family gathering lubricated by beer, herring and shots of the local firewater.

Whether you’re a builder or a banker, it’s the one day of the year that everyone casts aside their daily routine and goes back to the land.

You can read more at West Sweden: Folklore traditions of Midsummer.

Or, watch a short Vimeo from a boat tour of Gothenburg harbour from my recent trip.

Check back for links to the published articles.