Swedish politician argues for paid sex break
What's the story
A small town Swedish politician, named Per-Erik Muskos, from the town of Övertorneå in northern Sweden, has proposed that Swedish citizens should get an hour-long paid break from work to go home and have sex with their partners.
The 42 year-old politician expressed concern about couples who don't have enough time to have sex, noting that sex is healthy.
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Sex is a "scarce commodity"
"I believe that sex is a scarce commodity in many long relationships. Everyday life is stressful and the children are at home. This could be an opportunity to have their own time," said Muskos to Swedish newspaper Vasterbottens-Kuriren.
Sweden & sex
Could the measure encourage people to reproduce?
Although Sweden has long been stereotyped for having sex-loving citizens, a survey carried out by the newspaper Aftonbladet revealed that couples were having 24% less sex compared to 1996.
Apart from its stress-relieving capacity, Muskos also believes that paid sex breaks could not only encourage exercise, but could also help boost Sweden's low birth rate.
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Legislators should kill "two birds with one stone"
"Sex is also an excellent form of exercise with documented positive effects on well-being, the municipality should kill two birds [exercise & child birth] with one stone and encourage employees to use their fitness hour to go home and have sex," said Muskos.
Work-life balance
The work-life balance of Swedes
In the work-life balance, Swedes have clearly shown that they value life.
It is common to have coffee or fika breaks two to three times a day to help workers disconnect, recharge, and refresh.
Sweden also boasts 480 days of paid parental leave which can be shared between the parents.
The country has also experimented with six hour workdays for its citizens.
Data
Where Sweden stands when it comes to work hours
Swedish nationals enjoy an average of 1612 work hours per year, 9% less than the average work hours of member nations of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The OECD average is 1766 work hours per year.
Economic effects?
Won't reduced work hours affect Sweden's economy?
Although Sweden offers several lifestyle benefits to its citizens, it hasn't had any terrible effect on its economy, contrary to popular belief.
According to European Union estimates, Sweden's economy is expected to grow at 2.4% in 2017.
Although lower than last year's 3.3% growth rate, Sweden's growth rate still far surpasses the estimated EU-wide growth rate of 1.6%.