A huge number of women are not supported by the government in the most important step like the birth of a child. Take a look at what kind of support for motherhood women receive in Europe and Asia.

The social support provided by the state to the mother should ideally first solve three problems. First, provide quality obstetric care and other medical services. Secondly, to support families who are in a difficult financial situation, and to provide certain benefits to single mothers. Third, create adequate, parental labor legislation

Background

In the West, the National Insurance Act (National Insurance Act), adopted in 1911 in the UK, was one of the first signs of concern for mothers and newborns. Women relied qualified medical care and a payment of 30 shillings - something about 120 pounds in terms of modern money. By the 1970s, in most European countries, the right of women to maternity leave was enshrined at the legislative level. And in Sweden, where much attention is paid to issues of gender equality, it was then decided that both mother and father can go on such leave.

It is not necessary, however, to forget that many prosperous countries have become such only in the last few decades. The same box with baby dowries appeared in Finland at the end of the 1930s as a form of assistance to low-income families. Then the country was very poor, and people sometimes did not have enough money even to buy enough clothes for a child. Much later, the box was probably just a pleasant addition: today, with an average income of about 2,800 euros per month, most Finns can easily afford to buy a similar set of diapers, vests, and bottles.

Ratings and Leaders

Today, the international organization Save the Children, which is engaged in protecting the rights of children around the world, regularly publishes a rating of countries where the most suitable conditions for motherhood are created. Already, traditionally, its top five includes the countries of Northern Europe: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark.

Why is this region going ahead of the whole planet when it comes to the well-being of children and mothers? One of the basic criteria that the Save the Children experts take into account when compiling the ranking is the percentage of women in the government. In Scandinavia and the states adjacent to it, their number is usually higher than 40% - or so. It is logical that in countries where women have a real opportunity to influence politics and the economy, maternity protection is a priority. In the current Swedish government, Osa Regner holds the position of Minister for Children, Older Persons and Equality. In Norway, Solveig Horne was appointed to a similar post in 2013.

Another key factor is infant and maternal mortality. The level of the latter is generally decreasing, but in some countries, it is still quite high. This is due not only to the fact that, in the states of Eastern and Central Africa, medical care, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired but also to what percentage of the population lives in urban slums. There are no slums in prosperous Scandinavia. As a result, an average of 2.8 die out of a thousand babies in Norway, and 145.6 in Somalia.

West and East

The United States is strongly knocked out of these statistics - an economic leader who, in the rating of the best states for motherhood, does not even make it to the top thirty. Although the infant mortality rate there is relatively low (about seven out of a thousand babies), and the per capita income is high and amounts to more than $ 57,000 a year, in America, there are practically no benefits for new parents, including paid leave to care for a child. So, a variety of mothers who wants to be involved in a child’s life decide to become a stay at home mom. Without any support from the government, of course.

According to experts in the field of labor law, the thing is that the US authorities can not reconsider the act adopted in 1993. Then the government decided that the maximum that is due to the mother is 12 weeks of unpaid leave. Neither the state nor the employer is obliged to help the family financially. For comparison: in Sweden, parents are given 480 days, for 390 of which mothers who went on leave or father receive 80% of their previous salary. Donald Trump seems to have promised to introduce benefits for mothers, but the matter has not gone further.

Interestingly, in the Save the Children rating, another economically developed country, Japan, left not far from the USA. Mainly because there are very few women in the Japanese government - only about 11%. But, if you look closely, it turns out that mothers in the Land of the Rising Sun provide significantly more tangible support than in America. Since 2006, every pregnant woman who has embarked on medical records has received a special “motherhood badge”. It is attached to clothing or a bag and is needed so that others understand that when its owner does not need to smoke, and in crowded public transport, you should try not to push it accidentally.

Japan is a country whose population is rapidly aging, and young people are in no hurry to marry and have children. Therefore, the government is thus trying to encourage motherhood to get out of the demographic peak. On the other hand, single mothers here are an extremely vulnerable category of the population. The traditional patriarchal way of life and the “male system of earnings” are affecting: a woman raising a child gets on average 60% less than a man. “Pulling out” the child alone will be difficult for her.

It is obvious that sometimes it is much more difficult to overcome stereotypes that have taken root in consciousness than to increase the size of the allowance. But, but raising these critical issues in society more and more often we will find both support for like-minded people and politicians who are able to influence the situation.