In Finland, the number of parents receiving home care support has dropped sharply to just under 60,000 last year from over 110,000 in 2015. This decline, amounting to a reduction of 159 million euros over the past decade, reflects a trend influenced primarily by decreasing birth rates, as fewer children are being born. Anneli Miettinen, research manager at Kela, notes that families are also utilizing home care support less than before, contributing to this downward trend.

The recent changes in parental leave reforms have also played a significant role in this shift. The duration of home care support episodes used by parents has generally become shorter, leading to a decrease in the proportion of long-term recipients. Miettinen indicates that with a greater number of fathers taking parental leave as a result of these reforms, the overall parental leave periods allocated to families have increased slightly. This adjustment may have reduced the necessity for mothers to rely on home care support for extended durations, thereby further diminishing the number of recipients.

Despite these changes, it is evident that the majority of home care support recipients continue to be mothers. This ongoing trend raises questions about the dynamics of parental roles and support structures in Finland, particularly as societal norms around parenting evolve and incentivize more equitable sharing of caregiving responsibilities between parents.