A Swedish politician has proposed that couples be given a one-hour paid break from work so they can go home and have sex with their partners. Per-Erik Muskos, a councillor from the northern Swedish town of Övertorneå, is concerned couples don’t have enough time together and says his proposal is aimed at improving people’s relationships and well-being.
“There are studies that show sex is healthy,” the 42-year-old councillor told the AFP, as quoted in The Local after presenting the motion. “It’s about having better relationships,” Muskos said there was no way of ensuring employees use the time for intimate relations, but it would be a matter of trust between employers and staff.
“You can’t guarantee that a worker doesn’t go out for a walk instead,” Muskos said, adding that he “saw no reason” why the motion wouldn’t pass. Sweden already has a healthy work-life balance: workers commonly have fika or coffee breaks. Two or three times a day, and new mums and dads can take advantage of 480 days of paid parental leave, which can be shared between parents. Övertorneå has a population of just 2,000, so if the motion does pass it will only benefit a small number of people. But perhaps this is one work perk that could catch on.
