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The proportion of total parental leave days taken by fathers has increased in all Nordic countries almost hand in hand with parental leave reforms. However, the average pattern of fathers' parental leave uptake hides the fact that a considerable proportion of fathers use no parental leave, even when they are earmarked for the father. In this study, we focus on the proportion and characteristics of non-users, that is, fathers who do not use parental leave. We distinguish two non-user groups: fathers who use no parental leave, not even birth-related leave and fathers who do not use the father's quota. This distinction is relevant because it reflects the design and institutional status of fathers' parental leave. Further, factors related to using no parental leave are likely to be somewhat different to those related to not using the father's quota. In Finland, the father's quota was introduced in 2003, but it became fully independent leave for the father only in 2013. We also investigate if the 2013 reform was followed by any changes in fathers' parental leave use and in the profiles of non-users. We use a unique longitudinal register data that covers practically (fathers to) all children born in 2010–2015 and follow parental leave use until 2018. We find that the 2013 reform was followed by a considerable increase in the uptake of the father's quota. The proportion of fathers who used no parental leave remained stable, but the reform encouraged some fathers to take longer, independent leave in addition to the birth-related leave. Overall, less educated and low-income fathers were less likely to use any parental leave, and if they took leave, they were more likely to use only the birth-related leave. However, the 2013 reform slightly diminished socioeconomic disparities in the use of the father's quota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birth intervals are a crucial component of fertility behaviour and family planning. Short birth intervals are associated—although not necessarily causally—with negative health-related outcomes, but less is known about their associations with family functioning. Here, the associations between birth intervals and marital stability were investigated by Cox regression using a nationally representative, register-based sample of individuals with two (N = 42,481) or three (N = 22,514) children from contemporary Finland (observation period 1972–2009). Shorter interbirth intervals were associated with an increased risk of parental divorce over a ten-year follow-up. Individuals with birth intervals of up to 1.5 years had 24–49 per cent higher divorce risk compared to individuals whose children were born more than 4 years apart. The pattern was similar in all socioeconomic groups and among individuals with earlier and later entry to parenthood. Our results add to the growing body of research showing associations between short birth intervals and negative outcomes in health and family functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: What are the short- and long-term health consequences and current satisfaction of altruistic oocyte donors?Summary Answer: Donating oocytes in the majority (>90%) of donation cycles is not associated with harmful long-term general or reproductive health effects.What Is Known Already: Knowledge of long-term health effects of oocyte donation on donors is sparse and follow-up studies have usually been carried out on commercial donors. Thus far, no major long-term harmful effects have been demonstrated. Most studies have reported a high level of donor satisfaction, but also less favorable experiences have been published.Study Design, Size and Duration: A retrospective cross-sectional survey of all women who had donated oocytes between 1990 and 2012 at three fertility clinics was carried out in spring 2013. A self-administered questionnaire was sent out to a total of 569 former oocyte donors.Participants, Setting, Methods: In all, 428 past donors answered the questionnaire assessing donor's demographic characteristics, short- and long-term medical and psychological experiences and satisfaction related to donations. Of the donors, 87% (371/428) were unknown and 13% (57/428) were known to the recipient. The mean follow-up time after the donation was 11.2 years (range from 0.5 to 23 years) and the mean age of the respondents was 42 years at the time of the study. To learn whether the demographic profile of donors was affected by the Finnish Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Act of 2007, we divided the 428 respondents into two groups: (i) women whose first donation took place between 1990 and 2007 (79% of the respondents) and (ii) women whose first donation took place between 2008 and 2012 (21% of the respondents). Before 2008, donors were non-identifiable (anonymous) but after 2008 persons born as a result of gamete donation could, from the age of 18, receive on request information identifying the donor.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: The response rate was 75% (428/569). The mean age of the donors did not differ between the two time periods, but there was a higher proportion of donors in the youngest age group (20-24 years) and more childless donors (P < 0.05) after 2008 than between 1990 and 2007. Immediate complications occurred in 7.2% (42/582) of the donation cycles and the most common complication was ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in 5.0% (29/582) of the treatments. There were no reports of ovarian or uterine cancer and only one case of breast cancer. After the donation, 11.5% of the donors experienced unsuccessful attempts to become pregnant. Almost all donors (99%) were satisfied or very satisfied with their decision to donate and 95% would warmly recommend it to other women. There were no differences between the known and unknown donors in this respect, or between the two time periods (before or after the ART Act in 2008). Four donors (1%) had regretted donation, and 7% would have wanted to have more support before and 14% after the donation.Limitations, Reason For Caution: Although the response rate was high, 25% of all former donors in the three participating clinics could not be included due to lack of response. The results are based on self-reported assessment of the experiences of former donors, and it is not possible to estimate the influence of recall bias.Wider Implications Of the Findings: To our knowledge, this is the largest study of health consequences and satisfaction levels on oocyte donors. Data from this study can be used to inform donor candidates about the medical aspects involved in the treatment and it provides information on how to support these women during and after the donation.Study Funding/competing Interests: This study was supported by grants from the Medical Society Life and Health, and from the Otto A. Malm Foundation. There are no competing interests to report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The pursuit of sexual pleasure is a key motivating factor in sexual activity. Many things can stand in the way of sexual orgasms and enjoyment, particularly among women. These are essential issues of sexual well-being and gender equality. Objective: This study presents long-term trends and determinants of female orgasms in Finland. The aim is to analyze the roles of factors such as the personal importance of orgasms, sexual desire, masturbation, clitoral and vaginal stimulation, sexual self-esteem, communication with partner, and partner's sexual techniques. Design: In Finland, five national sex surveys that are based on random samples from the central population register have been conducted. They are representative of the total population within the age range of 18-54 years in 1971 (N=2,152), 18-74 years in 1992 (N=2,250), 18-81 years in 1999 (N=1,496), 18-74 years in 2007 (N=2,590), and 18-79 years in 2015 (N=2,150). Another dataset of 2,049 women in the age group of 18-70 years was collected in 2015 via a national Internet panel. Results: Contrary to expectations, women did not have orgasms that are more frequent by increasing their experience and practice of masturbation, or by experimenting with different partners in their lifetime. The keys to their more frequent orgasms lay in mental and relationship factors. These factors and capacities included orgasm importance, sexual desire, sexual self-esteem, and openness of sexual communication with partners. Women valued their partner's orgasm more than their own. In addition, positive determinants were the ability to concentrate, mutual sexual initiations, and partner's good sexual techniques. A relationship that felt good and worked well emotionally, and where sex was approached openly and appreciatively, promoted orgasms. Conclusion: The findings indicate that women differ greatly from one another in terms of their tendency and capacity to experience orgasms. The improvements in gender equality and sexual education since the 1970s have not helped women to become more orgasmic. Neither has the major increase in masturbation habits (among women in general). One challenge for future studies is to understand why women value their partner's orgasms more than their own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the gendered divisions of domestic work are often assumed to influence couples’ childbearing behaviour, but existing evidence is mixed and mostly limited to cross-sectional data. We study how the amount and division of housework and childcare predict subsequent childbearing among Finnish couples using Finnish Time Use Survey 1999–2000 (FTUS1999) time diary data linked with register data on subsequent births. Results show that women’s housework hours were negatively associated with the likelihood of having children at all parities. Men’s contribution to domestic tasks, measured in relative terms, had no impact on childbearing. However, a higher male share of childcare time slightly increased the couple’s likelihood of having a second child. Results are markedly robust to the inclusion of socioeconomic factors. We conclude that while women’s excessive domestic work in itself may decrease fertility, men’s housework share is not associated with continued childbearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most research on trends in socio-economic fertility differences has focused on cohort total fertility and on women. This study aimed to analyse how cohort trends in parity-specific fertility differ across educational segments for men and women and what role multi-partner fertility plays in these trends. We used Finnish and Swedish register data on cohorts born in 1940–73/78. The main analyses used parity progression ratios, comparing ordinary ratios with similar ratios using births to first reproductive partners only. Among the low and medium educated, we observe strengthening parity polarization across cohorts, with increases in both childlessness and births of order three or higher, the latter largely reflecting increases in multi-partner fertility. Highly educated men and women more often have exactly two children. We demonstrate that cohort total fertility can mask significant parity-specific trends across educational groups and that changes in multi-partner fertility can play a part in cohort trends in socio-economic fertility differentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Families (and sometimes courts) make important decisions regarding child physical custody arrangements post‐separation, and shared parenting arrangements are increasingly common in most developed countries. Shared arrangements may be differentially associated with parental satisfaction, and these associations may vary across countries. Using data from surveys of separated mothers in Wisconsin and Finland, the present study explores this possibility and is guided by three aims: (a) to identify child and family characteristics associated with sole and shared child placements 6 or more years after separation; (b) to estimate associations of children's post‐separation placements with maternal satisfaction with placements and expense sharing; (c) to examine whether the relationship between post‐separation placement and maternal satisfaction varies by mothers' earnings and the quality of parents' relationships. We find that Finnish mothers with shared placement are more satisfied with their placement than are their counterparts with sole placement, while we find the inverse is true for Wisconsin mothers. Moreover, parental satisfaction with shared placement, overall and relative to sole placement, varies greatly depending on the quality of a mother's relationship with the other parent; and differences in relationship quality in Wisconsin and Finland may help explain the difference in satisfaction with shared placement in the two locations. In both Finland and Wisconsin, we find mothers with shared placement are more satisfied with the way expenses are shared between parents than are mothers with sole placement. Associations between placement and satisfaction are robust to extensive controls for child and maternal characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Child support orders are less likely in shared care in both Finland and Wisconsin. • Expense sharing is more prevalent in shared care than sole care. • In Finland, child support receipt reduces the likelihood of expense sharing. • Equal shared care exhibits the highest frequency of expense sharing. This study analyzes the associations between post-separation child living arrangements and child support outcomes and expense sharing in two contrasting welfare states: Finland and the United States (Wisconsin). The extent to which parents share the economic responsibility of the child after separation varies across countries. As shared care arrangements become more prevalent, traditional child support arrangements may become less common. Survey data collected in Finland (2019) and Wisconsin (2020) from separated or divorced parents are utilized in this study, and standard logistic and OLS regression models are used to investigate the relationship between sole and shared care arrangements and child support outcomes and expense sharing. The findings demonstrate that shared care arrangements are associated with a reduced likelihood of having a formal child support order and an increased likelihood of sharing child-related expenses in Finland and Wisconsin. Thus, shared care arrangements are linked to a decrease in formal child support orders and an increase in expense sharing. The results indicate a reduced reliance on formal child support orders and an increased willingness to privately share child-related expenses; findings reflect changing societal practices regarding the economic aspects of child rearing in separated or divorced families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]