Finland has appointed a new defense minister to steer the process to join NATO as Antti Kaikkonen went on parental leave to care for his six-month-old baby.
(Bloomberg) — Finland has appointed a new defense minister to steer the process to join NATO as Antti Kaikkonen went on parental leave to care for his six-month-old baby.
Kaikkonen may be the first male minister to take family leave in Finland, where several women have done so in recent years. In the Nordic country, it’s routine practice for cabinet members to resign for the duration of their absence and resume their ministerial duties afterward.
The Finnish minister’s decision was met with widespread acclaim, in contrast to the backlash faced by US Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg when he took paternity leave in 2021 to bond with his twins.
“Kids are only small for a while, and I want to create memories of that time, and not just have photos,” Kaikkonen said in December, when announcing his intention to take two months off work.
Finland provides parental leave of about 14 months, with both parents asked to share the time off in equal measure if they wish to make use of the maximum time. One parent can pass on at most 63 days from their quota to the other. Since the 2019 elections, a cabinet run by a millennial woman has produced ten offspring.
Kaikkonen made way for Mikko Savola, 41, who was on Thursday sworn in as defense minister, the government in Helsinki said. He is set to hold the post until the end of February.
Finland and Sweden seek to convince two remaining holdouts — Turkey and Hungary — to ratify their entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The pair stand out among NATO allies after 28 countries swiftly approved the Nordic nations’ membership following a June invitation for them to join.
Kaikkonen, 48, took no parental leave when his first biological child was born in 2020. He also has two foster children.
(Adds details on parental leave in Finland)
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