A local official in Sweden has a novel proposal to improve work-life balance and lift the local birthrate: give municipal employees an hourlong paid break each week to go home and have sex. Sweden is already celebrated for its generous welfare state , including days of paid parental leave , universal health care and a common ritual of coffee and pastry, known as fika , which is considered sacrosanct.
In introducing his proposal this week, he told fellow members of the town council that it would give a nudge to the dwindling local population, add spice to aging marriages and improve employee morale. Muskos suggested that local municipal employees could use an hour of the workweek already allotted for fitness activities to go home and have sex with their spouses or partners instead.
The motion, which is expected to be voted on in the spring, needs a simple majority to be passed by the member council. As of now, opinion on the council is divided. I believe that sex is often in short supply. Muskos explained in his motion in Overtornea, a town of about 4, in the picturesque and remote Torne Valley.
His proposal has generated praise, ridicule and criticism. Some critics fear single workers could while away their working hours on the dating app Tinder trying to find a date for their weekly interlude.
When Mr. Muskos introduced the motion on Monday, some council members giggled while others said they were not amused. But befitting a progressive country which has long been perceived as a beacon of sexual enlightenment β including blissfully kitsch performances at the Eurovision Song Contest β the proposal was taken in stride. It made headlines across Sweden and beyond.
