People often ponder how the world might be different if more women were in political power.
人们经常好奇如果女性拥有了更多政治权利，这个世界将会变得怎样的不同。
In Finland, where women lead the five parties in the coalition government, here's one change they're making: equal paid leave for both parents in a family.
在芬兰，这里由女性领导着五个政党组成的联合政府，他们正做出一项改变：一个家庭中的父母享受同样的产假。
Finland's government,
led by 34-year-old Prime Minister Sanna Marin, has announced a new policy that will grant nearly seven months of paid leave to each parent, for a total of 14 months of paid leave.
芬兰政府由34岁的首相桑娜·玛伦领导，最近宣布了一项新政策规定，父母中每一方都可以享受七个月的带薪产假，总共加起来就是14个月的带薪产假。
The pregnant parent also can receive one month of pregnancy allowance even before the parental leave starts.
在产假开始之前，怀孕的父母还可以享受一个月的怀孕津贴。
The new policy is designed to be gender-neutral and will come into effect as soon as fall 2021.
这项新政策设计成性别中立，将在2021年秋天开始起效。
It will eliminate gender-based allowances that currently grant about four months of paid leave to mothers and about two months to fathers.
它将会终结那些基于性别的津贴，目前的政策规定，母亲可以享受四个月的带薪产假，而父亲只有两个月。
Parents will be permitted to transfer 69 days from their own quota to the other parent.
父母还可以将自己的产假中的69天转交给另外一方。
A single parent will have access to the allowance for both parents.
而单亲家庭可以享受到双亲家庭同样的津贴。
The government estimates that the increased leave will cost 100 million euros (about $110 million).
政府估计增加的产假将会带来1亿欧元（一亿一千万美元）的成本。
Reuters reports that Finland's previous center-right government explored parental leave reform in 2018 but decided it would be too expensive.
路透社报道称，芬兰之前的右翼政府曾在2018年试图进行产假改革，但是考虑过于昂贵而放弃了。
Sweden has Europe's most generous leave policy, offering 240 days per parent.
在欧洲，瑞典的产假政策是最慷慨的，给父母每方都提供240天的产假。
Many of those days can be transferred to the other parent, but 90 of them cannot.
除了90天之外，其余大部分时间都可以转交给另外一方。
That means that families wanting to maximize the leave would both take significant time off.
这意味着那些想多休产假的家庭，每方都会请很长的假。
Minister of Health and Social Affairs Aino-Kaisa Pekonen said the goal of the "radical reform" is to improve gender equality and to boost a declining birth rate, according to Reuters.
健康和社会事务部部长，安诺·卡萨·佩克伦称这次激进的改革的目标是要提升性别平等以及增加他们正在下降的出生率，路透社报道说。
"This enables better equality between parents and diversity among families," she said.
“这项政策可以提升父母双方间的平等性，并促进家庭的多样性。”她说。
The number of babies born in Finland has been dropping for the past nine years.
在过去的九年里，芬兰的婴儿出生率一直在下降。
Last year, 45,597 babies were born in the country— the lowest number since a famine struck in 1868.
去年该国只有45,597名婴儿出生—这是自1868年的饥荒以来的最低数字。
As many of the world's developed nations grapple with declining birth rates, many have begun extending leave for fathers.
随着世界上的很多发达国家开始纠结出生率下降问题，很多国家都开始延长父亲的产假。
A 2019 UNICEF report found, however, that even when fathers are provided paid leave, they don't necessarily take it: "In Japan, the only country that offers at least six months at full pay for fathers, only 1 in 20 took paid leave in 2017."
不过，2019年的一份联合国儿童基金会报告指出，就在父亲有了产假，他们也不一定会休：“在日本，他们是惟一一个给父亲提供至少六个月的带薪产假的国家，但是据2017年数据，20个人中，只有一个人会休产假。”
That's seen as one factor in some Japanese women deciding not to have children:
而这就被视为有些日本女性，不愿意生孩子的一个原因。
Mothers end up shouldering the burden of child-rearing themselves, and companies continue to demand long hours that don't provide the flexibility required by working parents.
最后母亲还是得独立承担带小孩的责任，公司则继续要求他们要工作很长的时间，这种制度就不能提供这些工作了的父母所需要的灵活性。
Last year, Japan's births fell to the lowest numberon record.
去年，日本的出生率也降到了有史以来的最低水平。
n Germany, the parental leave policy is designed to encourage fathers to take the time off.
在德国，他们的产假政策，故意想鼓励父亲多休假。
The basic parental allowance there grants 12 months paid leave.
在德国基本的生育津贴给他们提供12个月的带薪产假。
But if both parents apply for leave, the allowance can be extended to 14 months.
嗯，如果父母双方同时休假的话，津贴可以延长到14个月。
The UNICEF report noted that among the 31 wealthy nations it studied, the United States was the only country that has no national paid leave policy for mothers or fathers.
联合国儿童基金会的报告提醒道，在他们所研究的31个富裕国家中，美国是惟一一个给父母双方都没有提供带薪产假的国家。
Finland's prime minister told The Washington Post last month that while every country's situation and political atmosphere is different, the Finnish social policies could be a model for the U.S.
芬兰首相上个月告诉华盛顿邮报说，尽快每个国家的情形不同，芬兰的社会政策希望能够成为美国的一个榜样。
"I feel that the American Dream can be achieved best in the Nordic countries, where every child no matter their background or the background of their families can become anything, because we have a very good education system," Marin said.
“我认为在北欧国家能够最好地实现美国梦，也就是每个小孩无论他们的背景如何，也无论他们的家庭背景如何，都能够成为他们想要成为的任何人，因为我们拥有良好的教育体系。”玛伦说道。
"We have a good health-care and social welfare system that allows anybody to become anything. This is probably one of the reasons why Finland gets ranked the happiest country in the world."
“我们拥有良好的医保和社会福利体系，使得每一个人都可以去追求梦想，这可能就是芬兰被评为世界上最幸福国家的原因之一。
And she has another strategy to grow Finland's population: welcoming immigrants.
而为了增加芬兰的人口，她有另外一项策略：欢迎移民。
"We have an aging population, and we need people to come to Finland, to work there and to raise their children and take part in making our society better," Marin told the newspaper.
“我们的人口面临老龄化，我们需要有更多的人来到芬兰，在这里工作生孩子以及一起来把我们的社会建设的更好。”玛伦告诉报纸说。
文中提到的富裕国家中，哪一个是惟一一个没有带薪产假的国家？
留言回复正确答案，前十名朋友可以获得红包奖励哦，赶快来试试吧。
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