According to a new report from the State Social Security Institute (SSSI) (Tryggingastofnun ríkisins), Icelandic fathers are increasingly taking advantage of their entitlement to paternity leave. 49.5 per cent of those paid from the SSSI Childbirth Fund were fathers, up from 46.3 per cent the previous year.
The SSSI offers Icelandic parents nine months of leave on 80 per cent of their salaries – three months for the mother, three months for the father and three months for either mother or father.
Last year 10,663 parents from the workforce were on leave, 1,083 more than the year before. The Childbirth Fund distributed approximately six billion Icelandic króna last year, 3.4 billion ÍSK to mothers and 2.8 billion ÍSK to fathers.
