Book Review: Camilla Lackberg- A study of Gender equality and paternity leave in her thrillers

Camilla Lackberg is the best selling Swedish author specializing in crime fiction. The specialty of her books are that all the books are in sequence. The characters develop over the years and over her books. Not all her books are available in English and even less in India at present, but hopefully that will change, for finally, after Agatha Christie, I find myself loving a series in this genre again!
How is this series different from most other Scandinavian crime writing? Say for eg, Stieg Larsson? Lackberg, like Christie, uses domestic settings for her crimes, friends and neighbours, local police, local detectives, the snoopy neighbour who provides clues. Even when she goes beyond the immediately domestic, say, in :The Hidden Child" where she deals with the Nazi threat on Sweden in the 1930-s and 40-s, it is still rooted in the characters surrounding the locality.
The books available in India are- The Ice Princess, The Preacher, The Stone Cutter, The Stranger, The Hidden Child. (The Drowning has not yet come to India)
The protagonist is Erica Falck, a writer by profession, who moves to her native Fjallbacka in the first book where her childhood friend is found dead in typically horrifying conditions, frozen in the cold in her own bathtub with her wrists slashed. Here we see Christie once again, the blood spilled red on the pristine white bathroom floor, the ice in the bathtub and the particularly beautiful murdered young woman. Erica gets involved involuntarily in this investigation and with the investigator, Patrik Hedstrom. Of course I had started with a later book, and by then Erica and Patrik are already married. By "The Preacher" Erica is pregnant, and in Hidden Child she is married to Patrik and pregnant for the second time while Maja, her daughter is one year old.
I could go on about how great her books are and how well her characters have developed over the series, but this is not the platform for that. What I did want to discuss here are the practices used in the workplace in Sweden as becomes quite obvious in the books. Erica is a writer of course and writers are the same lot in any country. A statement made in The Ice Princess says- writers are not a well paid lot, and Im sure lots of writers around the world will agree with that.

But what becomes stark in the books is the practice of paternity leave. Sweden has the practice of giving fathers 60 days off specifically, and 480 days off per child, which can be shared between father and mother. Here is what the Baby Project blog http://www.npr.org/blogs/babyproject/2011/08/09/139121410/parental-leave-the-swedes-are-the-most-generous has to say about paternity leave and about Swedish practices in particular:

In the U.S., federal law allows men and women to take three months. Some work places will allow for more, unpaid. But the law doesn't mandate that companies pay anyone time to spend with their babies — and many people simply can't afford to take time off... Of course, the time allotted varies country to country. Some places, like the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia, give new moms 45 days or fewer.As NPR's Phil Reeves reports tonight on All Things Considered, Sweden has some of the most generous parental leave laws in the world — and the government not only considers the mother, but also the father.

Parents are allocated a total of 480 days per child, which they can take any time until the child is 8 years old. They can share these days, although 60 are allocated specifically to the father. And they are entitled to receive 80 percent of their wages, although this is capped at a certain level.

Paternity leave around the world is harder to chart than maternity leave. In some cases, fathers can tap into the same benefits that mothers get. In other cases — such as Sweden, Norway and Iceland — they have time specifically dedicated to them. Yet in many countries, fathers don't have any time allotted to them at all. A few examples of paternity policies are listed by the International Labour Organization (see page 46).

In Sweden, Reeves reports that dads seem happy. He spoke to men who say the law has really helped them bond with their kids... Still, Swedish men still tend to be better paid than women; this means the family loses more income if fathers take the leave. This helps explain why, according to Swedish government figures, women still take 75 percent of the allocation.

The bit about paternity leave in Sweden rings true in the books. Patrik takes his paternity leave and though he is pulled to work by interest, he is repeatedly told by his colleagues that he should not be coming in and he should use the time to bond with his daughter. 
This is the time when even Erica gets back to her writing having spent a year taking care of the baby. Gender equality glares me in the face, especially due to the lack of it in India. India of course has 3 months paid maternity leave and no paternity leave. In fact, even now, fathers are not expected to be equal in child rearing. Their role is quite limited to taking kids out on weekends and paying for the tuition. (Though I have a colleague who devotes half the day to his sons, and has become an equal partner in spending time with his kids, very few men can even afford to do that, even if they wish.) If the mom has to devote her time to rearing the kids, the dad automatically becomes the bread winner, and his responsibilities ensure that he cannot take time off. It is too risky. However dads do know how to change diapers nowadays (the dad of my daughter does not, his excuse is that I do a great job anyway, so why try to fix something that is not broken) and would willingly take over part of child rearing. Times are changing in many families, and dads would love to have an equal opportunity in seeing their babies grow, be there to watch them take their first step and say their first word, even if it is MAMA!

Gender equality and the difference in the generational attitude towards it is also evident in the mystery series. And these are things you wont find in statistical anlyses. The older generation thinks some jobs are meant for men- in the church, for example, or in the police force. This is reiterated in many places. However our generation (or Erica and Patrik's generation- they are 35) think differently and women do join everywhere and do a good job of course. The Ice Princess also describes how the woman preacher does a much better job in holding the attention of a non believer by her positive sermon, than the older male preacher who scared the religion out of the child Erica, by his account of hell fire. In Hidden Child a lady police officer has joined the tiny Tanumshede police station, and she is gay, to boot. The much older, previous generation head of the station is initially against a woman on the police force but changes his mind in the course of the book. And the way he handles the gay situation is commendable and shows a real development in the character at this point in the series. 

However, on the negative side of society, the Neo Nazi movement is touched upon, and shows how foreigners are targeted by these groups and the threats posed to them in the workplace. This is probably the case in most countries where underground extremist groups target another group of people. India itself is full of extremist groups targeting "difference"- in caste, religion or language. Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, which recently targeted Biharis and other North Indians are not even underground. 

Being mostly domestic, there is not too much information about workplace, but the potent ones which comes out, are very clear and expressive of the open and equal society in Sweden.

Get Hired 3: What not to tell your consultant

There are good consultants and bad consultants, and how do you know the difference? Apart from the names which are well known in the market, or if you are going to someone with a reference, then there are some straight points which will tell you if you can trust your consultant to get the best for  you.

1. Their website: will be world class, will give you list of people they have and their expertise

2. Their clients: will be usually listed on their website. A good consultant will have a mix of all industries and all types of clients, but will definitely have clients who demand the best out of their vendors

3. The seniority of candidates: this might be biased coming from me, since I am an executive search consultant, but here's the truth. A placement firm provides CVs to the client by the dozen. An executive search firm usually checks your background, does the due diligence, and then calls you to ask your opinion on the job. Only when you are fully convinced, is your profile sent to the client. As such this is a much longer drawn process, taking up to a working week, and hence, the number of profiles sent to the client is very less, sometimes 2-3 at one go. But your profile will no doubt be relevant to the position on offer. Thus, this very detail makes the process to get hired one step closer.

4. Communication- written or oral: A good consulting firm will have impeccable mailing and communication procedures. The documentation will usually be templated, hence all details are neatly arranged for quick reference. Oral communication is supposed to be clear and lucid, detailed and informative, as well as transparent. Confidentiality MUST be assured.

Once these basic criteria are met by the consultant, one must keep in  mind that one must not keep anything secret between you and your doctor, lawyer and consultant. It might come back to haunt you later. A good consultant will send an analysis of your profile to the client company to give your match to the role and culture of the company. Hence you have to answer all questions. A good consultant will make it clear that nothing confidential need be told at this level. Hence all figures (present company turnover, department revenues, client size, client names etc) may be approximate and names may not be revealed. 

A few days back I got to interview a lady from a big IT firm living in Hyderabad, wanting to relocate to Mumbai. She was at a Senior Manager level. I mention this to show the seniority of the person. We usually ask the family details of the person, male or female. If the person is married, what the partner does, if he/she has children. This is not just for curiosity, if there is relocation required in the position in question, these details become imperative. Like it or not, a person with 2 kids of school going age might not want to change cities, while a singleton who is married with no kids, might find it easier. Kids' age matter, since school going kids will have more problems relocating, than toddlers, due to more than one reason, finding good schools,  or getting torn from established friend circles.

We have asked these questions to every one till date and very few people do not understand that as a consultant it is important for me to know your family history. In job interviews in colleges, students are sometimes asked about their parents, their interests, even the type of music they have listened to. This establishes the cultural and social background of the candidate and will determine the match of the candidate to the over all ambiance of the company they want to join.

Anyway, this particular lady who is 40 years old, took offence when I asked her if she is married. She told me " I am 40, I better be married". Taking offence at being asked about marital status is very feminist, however her statement clashes wildly with feminism. How is being 40 equated with marriage? What will the 40 year old single women of the world have to tell her? I assured her that I am not trying to be personal, it is part of our evaluation process. I should have stopped there. But I went ahead and asked about kids. For the next half hour I had to hear a one sided tirade about why I should not ask this question and how offensive it is. I told her, "Maam if you find it offensive, please mention that and you dont need to answer it."
Truth is, these informations are necessary for us to overall understand how difficult a case of change and relocation a candidate will have. But the option is always there to say that you would rather not answer it since it is against your principles. Any good consultant will whole-heartedly respect this. But no consultant will want to hear about your principles for half an hour. Its a waste of your time, and her time and energy. However I did apologise to her on the phone and by sms afterwards, also assuring her that I would take the topic up with my management. If it had stopped there I would have even supported her point of view.

But this is not where it stopped. You might think she was just against personal questions. But next day I called to get her work details on the kinds of clients she has closed sales deals with. She is doing BPO sales, and she has applied for a Sales job and it is MY job to understand if her experience matches the requirements my client has- aggressive sales to large companies and quick deal closing capabilities. She said "why should I give you that information". Whatever answer I expected this was not it. It took me some time to tell her "Because I am your consultant"

So in the end she refused to give me any detail and went on another tirade about how I ask stupid questions which are not necessary. At the end I had to tell her that I would like to disconnect the call. She called up 5 minuted later to tell me not to forward her profile, but by then I had already decided that she was a danger to be presented to our client. 

Morals of the story:

1. Your consultant is looking to help you, not hinder your prospects for the job.

2. When your consultant assured you of confidentiality, it is in your best interest to trust her. You have no option once you send your work details anyway.

3. Please LISTEN. You might be missing the point.

4. Please for heavens sake. DONT BE RUDE. That really does not help anyone's purpose.

5. If you dont want to answer something, please mention that frankly. It will be appreciated, and you will not be pushed.

6. Your work details are important for being profiled for a job. Please share. No one will ask you confidential client details.

Stress and the Woman

There was a time when the man was the bread winner and the woman was the child bearer and nurturer. Roles were defined and everyone was happy. And then we, the women, decided we can do whatever we put our minds to. And we put our minds to being independent and having control of our finances, along with our homes, bodies and minds. And so we reached a state where we handle the home and hearth, the kids and we go to work to earn our daily bread. That's actually doing 3 peoples work single handedly. No wonder we are stressed all the time.
A 2011 study by Nielsen shows that:
"An overwhelming 87% of Indian women said they felt stressed most of the time, and 82% had no time to relax.  The survey, conducted early this year, covered 6,500 women from 21 developed and developing countries like Sweden, the US, the UK, France, the BRICS economies. It was conducted online among women (over 18 years of age) and cut across social and income class."
While women all over the world work unthinkably hard, Indian women have it worst. Social expectations have risen to a point when women with a level of education are "supposed" to work. But in India, this happens without the accompanying support system of family, husband, good childcare systems, nannies or creches. Apart from that most women are expected to prepare the household food, care for the children, do the shopping, over and above their hours in office. I know of women who wake up at 4 am to prepare breakfast for the family (in South India, that means Dosa/ Idly etc), lunch boxes for kids and husband, lunch for in laws, then prepare their kids for school, then go to office. They return in the evening at about 7 pm and then prepare dinner for the family. I have seen many women in local trains cutting vegetables on their journey home, to keep the work a little ahead.
Even for those who do not have to cook and clean at home, or who dont have kids, the stress of doing everything is catching up with us. The old adage that to get half the distance, women have to work twice as hard, is true, since the mentality of people both at home and at the workplace have not changed. Ambition seems to be a dirty word if it is used for a woman, but the truth is more and more women are option to go the hard way and do it all, than sit at home and let their education go to waste.
So how do we deal with stress? Here are some tips:
DONT TRY TO BE PERFECT: Perhaps something we need to tell ourselves everyday. It is not required to be perfect in everything we do. The clothes can wait on the line overnight if you are too tired. The ppt need not have that exact shade of sky blue. The child can have one portion fruit less today. It will not matter tomorrow, or for that matter, after an hour. Learn to give in to a bit of imperfection.
EXERCISE: However busy your day, take an hour out and so something physical. Run, walk, cycle, take the baby out to the park, dance, whatever squeezes some sweat out... exercising in any form releases happy hormones in the body which can then unwind from extreme stress easily. It will also give the much required me-time that, as a busy working mother, I realise I absolutely need. Also if possible, do YOGA or MEDITATE.
SLEEP: this one needs no explanation. Sleep is a natural healing time for tissues and for the brain to recharge. 6-8 hours sleep is absolutely essential.
DONT SMOKE OR DRINK: Too many people Ive seen smoking provide the easy excuse of stress release. However, smoking or drinking just masks stress and does not ease it. In fact, that may lead to other complications and health problems which might make things worse. A civil engineer wouldnt want to have to spend the day on site, inspecting the buildings in scathing sun, having to cough away due to too many cigarettes smoked.
WORK SMARTER: I find that planning my day even before I get to work, makes it a lot less stressful to start off the day with. After that, regular jotting of things to be done, and ticking them off (in itself an act which provides such satisfaction that I divide my to-do list to the bare smallest tasks.) is a good way to keep tab of your time.
STAY CONNECTED: Delegate, share work, share ideas. Or just take a break to chat with like minded people if you feel you are getting too stressed.
DONT STAY CONNECTED 24/7: Keep regular hours and dont work late more than 2 nights a week. Take 2 days to unwind and forget about work. Try not to answer work calls on your off time. Everyone should know and respect your time off. Otherwise its not a worthy place to work. When you give time to your family or child, give 100%. They will be the ones to stay. In 10 years time this job will not be what is important. Know your priorities. You only work for the money, it does not define your life.
VOLUNTEER AT THE LOCAL CORPORATION SCHOOL: social service has been found to be the biggest stress relief. The thought of doing something for the good of someone else, gives us a sense of purpose and makes us happier. It helps put things in perspective too. The feel good factor gives a huge high which may last through the week. Little acts of kindness, like helping an old man cross the street or giving up your seat to the pregnant lady, or even feeding the hungry little kitten which has lost its mother... all small acts which makes one truly happy and gives a kick to the day. Another means is to have a hobby. I read... sometimes till the wee hours but I love it so much that I wouldnt give it up for anything. Some people garden, some feed cats, some cook, all sorts of people do all sorts of things, but a hobby helps you unwind at the end of the day or week and recharges your mind.
THINK SOLUTION NOT PROBLEM: If your job is under threat, think of your exit strategies and prepare for emergencies. Dont sit and worry. Utilise the time to research other companies and jobs available.
BE POSITIVE: Know your limitations but be positive about it. Know when to stop. Know to say NO. All this is acceptable if done with a positive frame of mind. Nothing will go wrong if you fail. The world will not stop. Your child will not stop growing, you wont lose your job. Stop worrying all the time, go out, smell the flowers, watch the clouds. Force yourself some time off during the day, take a nap. Anything which works for you. Learn to control but dont become a control freak. You can rise 5 minutes early to get that elusive 8 am bus, but you cant stop the rain from falling. You can work to keep your job, but if the company goes under, its not in your control. Let go and learn to live.