Abstract
This chapter investigates in more detail the daily practices of mothers and fathers in inner-city Helsinki. It first considers the transition to parenthood, and shows how mothers and fathers through their spatial practices incorporate parenting into their urban self-identities, and concludes that traditional gender roles in many senses are blurred while parenting in the city. The chapter further shows that the families actively use their inner-city neighbourhoods in their everyday lives and enjoy being able to use different modes of transport—walking cycling, public transport or the car—and to have access to nearby services. The chapter also concludes that the opportunity to spend time in the nearby environment without the children is also important for the parents.
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Notes
- 1.
Maternity leave starts 30 working days before the estimated date of birth at the latest, and lasts 154 days. Paternity leave can be taken for a maximum of 54 working days. The father can stay home together with the mother for 18 of the 54 days; the rest he has to stay home alone together with the baby. Parental leave starts after maternity leave, lasts 158 days, and can be taken by both the mother and the father.
- 2.
The child home care allowance can be claimed if the child is not in municipal day care. The allowance is based on a care allowance and a care supplement, which depends on the family’s income. The allowance is usually substantially lower than the earnings-related maternity, paternity and parental leave allowance. High-income, dual-earner families, in particular, face a notable drop in income if one of the parents decides to stay at home on child home care allowance (Kela 2013; Statistical Yearbook of the Social Insurance Institution 2012 2013).
- 3.
Until the 1990s, full-time day care was not available for all. Depending on the situation of the family (financial, household size, etc.), most children with two working parents typically attended half-time day care and were then picked up by a nanny (typically a young or older woman).
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Lilius, J. (2019). Parenting Practices in the City. In: Reclaiming Cities as Spaces of Middle Class Parenthood. The Contemporary City. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-9010-3_5
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