meaning of "as" in the given text

[velimir]

I've been reading something and the following text perplexed me :

"As shown earlier, men in Norway and Finland as less likely to take advantage of their parental leave rights than men in other Nordic countries,and development in these two countries, as well as Denmark, has been slow to take off."

Does "as" (red-coloured) in this context have the meaning "being"? It is the only way I can understand the sentence, in which case I understand meaning (condensely described ) like : "the men in this countries being like that is the reason why the development is slow to take off "

Thanks

[Niall]

I think that as is possably a mistake, and that it should be are.

Also, that sentence is ridiculously long and a complete nightmare to read.

[velimir]

Thanks Niall very much. I thought so, I doubt that the language is not quite correct in the text. Incidentally, the title of the text is not clear to me, would you comment on it Niall please? Here is the title :

Flexibility and shortcomings in the laws that govern parental leave in the Nordic countries

Is it possible to understand "flexibility" in some sense other than "ability to change" ?

Thanks

[amigos4]

I've been reading something and the following text perplexed me :

"As shown earlier, men in Norway and Finland as less likely to take advantage of their parental leave rights than men in other Nordic countries,and development in these two countries, as well as Denmark, has been slow to take off."

Does "as" (red-coloured) in this context have the meaning "being"? It is the only way I can understand the sentence, in which case I understand meaning (condensely described ) like : "being like that is the reason why the development is slow to take off "

Thanks

velimir,

First, I do not like the sentence structure of the example. The word 'as' does not make sense. I would use the verb 'are' instead of the word 'as'.

"As shown earlier, men in Norway and Finland are less likely to take advantage of their parental leave rights than men in other Nordic countries, and development in these two countries, as well as Denmark, has been slow to take off."

Next, the word 'development' is confusing to me. I would prefer a variation of the following: "As shown earlier, men in Norway and Finland are less likely to take advantage of their parental leave rights than men in other Nordic countries. Widespread acceptance/participation of men's parental leave rights in these two countries, as well as Denmark, has been slow to take off."

Cheers,
Amigos4

[Niall]

The title sounds good to me.
Perhaps this case it is better to understand the word flexibility as ability to change to suit individual's needs.

[velimir]

Hello Amigos4,

Thanks for the answer. And what about inserting "being" instead of "as"? Would it make the sentence logical? I mean in sense that development is regarded as "development in the field of parental rights or so , and it was slow because of said behaviour of people there ?

[velimir]

Thanks Niall again,

I suppose that it is lack of logic that bothers me Niall in that title, not the construction in itself. I would expect that when connected with the conjunction "and" in this context, the word "shortcoming" have as its preceding counterpart the word that would contrast it in some way ,most probably "advantages". I dont understand that "flexibility" contrasts it in any way, or maybe I do not understand the whole meaning of the word?

[Niall]

Well, you were right to suggest that some sort of contrast is infered. In this case, I believe that there is a contrast. Flexibility in this case is like advantages, because flexibility decides how easily the law can be used.

[velimir]

I understand Niall, thanks a lot for the answers.

Best regards

[amigos4]

Hello Amigos4,

Thanks for the answer. And what about inserting "being" instead of "as"? Would it make the sentence logical? I mean in sense that development is regarded as "development in the field of parental rights or so , and it was slow because of said behaviour of people there ?

velimir,

Inserting 'being' instead of 'as' just makes things more confusing. "As shown earlier, men in Norway and Finland being less likely to take advantage of their parental leave rights than men in other Nordic countries,and development in these two countries, as well as Denmark, has been slow to take off." 'Are' is the correct word for this sentence.

As for 'development', I assume that 'parental leave rights' have already been established and mandated/supported by law. The original sentence states that Norwegian and Finnish men are less likely to take advantage of their rights. This, in my interpretation, indicates male resistance in the acceptance of, or participation in, the existing parental leave laws. And, yes, "it was slow because of said behaviour of people there".

Does this help?

Cheers,
Amigos4