6.5 Thinking point: State support where you live
You’ve heard about the support offered to mothers in Finland (and Scotland). Now it’s time to consider what happens where you live.
Activity 4
If you don’t already know what support is offered for new babies in your country, do some research and find out. Consider these questions:
- What is provided for parents around the time of pregnancy and birth and the first year of a baby’s life where you live?
- Is state support for parents when a child is born a recent development or has this become one of your country’s deeply rooted traditions like the Finnish example you just read about?
- If it’s comparatively new, is this connected with concerns about population anxieties or some other kind of social change such as a change to women’s lives?
- If it’s not new, why do you think your country responded to the needs of families in this way?
Make notes on your findings.
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In the next section, you will move on to consider what makes a good parent.