Families and Family Policies in Finland: A Future Scenario

Promoting the welfare of citizens has become an important topic of discussion in modern Western societies. The goal of this paper is to concentrate on the well-being of families, changes in family life and family forms, and the challenges of future family policy in Finland. Thus, the paper represents a scenario effort. Although the focus is on Finnish families and family policies, the Finnish example could have wider applications as well. First, I introduce contemporary European family policies and the challenges these policies are facing. Second, I treat the Nordic welfare model and specifically the Finnish family policy as an example of such. Third, I examine certain major trends and challenges in Finnish family policy, such as emerging care needs, changes in gender equality, and a generational contract. Finally, I discuss what types of family policies are needed in order to ensure the well-being of Finnish families.