Stockholm - Children

The Swedish laws are very precise and detailed when they deal with childcare. The laws allow the same right to both mothers and fathers to take leave of absence to look after a sick child. Both the mother and the father are equally entitled to take 6 months off work to look after the newborn baby at home while being paid 75% of their salary.
In part this may be due to the fact that it is an indisputable right and the accepted custom to have both parents working.
It is also due to the fact that it is acceptable and very common to have split families and therefore to have to deal with one parent families or "multiparents" families. People tend easily to get married or to live together, have children, separate, get married again and have other children.
At birthday parties, a child may be surrounded by two mothers and two fathers plus various half brothers/sisters.