Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.01.2005, Page 12

COLUMNS
THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD FOR CHILDREN?
So, why are Icelanders so
enthusiastic about having babies?
Well, primarily, in a country with
such a high standard of living,
the state ensures that individuals
who choose to have children are
well provided for and protected.
The state certified leave between a
couple with a newborn baby totals
9 months – higher than any other
neighbouring country. In Iceland,
the mother gets 3 months, the father
another 3 months and the couple can
decide how they wish to share the
remaining 3 months.
The Lioness´ Share
Sociologists believe this leads to
increased equality between the
sexes, regarding the nurture of their
offspring. Both parents and children
tend to view the housework and
child rearing as not just assigned
to one gender (namely the female)
but to both. Though the lioness’
share is still done by the woman,
shared responsibility for who burps
the baby, who wakes up to feed the
toddler in the morning, who drops
the kids off at school, etc. might
tend to be more equal in a country
like Iceland, than other European
nations.
Another factor likely to boost
(if not directly contribute) is the
enormous number of facilities
available to the parent. Almost every
restaurant featured in this newspaper
claims to have a baby seat. Many
have diaper changing facilities. And
few even distribute little (non-toxic)
crayons and colouring sheets with
pictures of dragons and rabbits to
keep the kids entertained while
parents have a meal. This isn’t the
case even in a teeming metropolis
like London, where my husband and
I lived for a number of years.
Crying in peace
Carolina Pagli, who is from Italy and
has been living here since the last
three years, had her son in Reykjavik
only 8 months ago. She says, “I
like not having to worry whether I
can take my son out somewhere in
the city. No one here looks at me
strangely if he screams or cries… no
one feels insulted or disturbed by
him.”
“I didn’t have to ever tell my kids,
‘Be careful with strangers… Don’t
take food from anyone or go with
anyone you don’t know…’ because
I knew it wouldn’t happen…” says
Chandrika, a mother of two living in
Reykjavik.
Crime in Iceland is low – its one of
the lowest in the world. This creates
a perfectly safe haven to breed kids.
If you see numerous young boys and
girls cycling along the many busy
city streets or wandering through
the tiny woods along the salmon
river running though Reykjavík, it’s
because their parents know that they
are safe.
How not to anger
your host
The infrequent emails alternate between: “This place is awesome!”
and “Spent all day at the tax office, they’ve taken all my money,
I want to come home.” Suddenly your friend is begging to visit
Iceland, tempting you with cheap airfares, non-stop nightlife and,
occasionally, sex.
However, one thing bothers you. Does your friend/acquaintance really want
you for company, conversation and/or sex – or for your capacity as a mule?
Not a mule for drugs, of course, but a mule for … well, any comforts from
your shared homeland that cannot be bought in Iceland. Your desperate
friend wants you to bring Marmite, French wine from obscure appellations,
Olbas Pastilles, sloppy-textured homestyle chutneys, cheese that takes
the skin off the roof of your mouth (pasteurised, of course - bringing
unpasteurised cheese into Iceland is like saying,”Here, rip my luggage apart!”
to the customs officials at the airport), PG Tips tea, malt vinegar. The
extensive list of demands has you worrying about your baggage limit.
However, all this is not enough. The only way to guarantee an enjoyable
visit is to come to Iceland accompanied by your full duty-free allowance.
Remember – you are visiting a country where a litre of Bombay Sapphire gin
costs nearly as much your flight ticket. So do not be surprised if your host
leaves you at the airport when you say: “There wasn’t much choice in duty-
free so I bought some chocolates instead.”

You think your friend is above all of this? They are not. Be suspicious if they
say: “Oh, don’t bother bringing anything, it’ll just be lovely just to see you.”
They do not mean it. What they meant was: “The social conventions of our
homeland make me feel embarrassed about asking you to spend money on
me, but if you don’t come with your case stuffed with products unique to our
country of origin, I will be most displeased.”
A displeased host will help you experience the Icelandic ritual of “buying a
round of drinks” and let you discover that you could feed a family for a week
for the price of a couple of beers, a glass of wine and a “Gin og Tonic.”
by Lizzy B
Icelanders like having children. In fact, they like it so much that
the country accounts for one of the highest birth rates in Europe. At
15 births per 1000 people, Icelandic children far outnumber their
continental cousins in Italy, who seem to be giving birth to a mere 9
children per 1000 people.
by Prerna Desai
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