paternity leave vs maternity leave.

In France, it is mandatory to take at least eight weeks’ maternity leave (9); although women are allowed up to 16 weeks (6 prior to birth and 10 after). This period of paid leave can increase to 26 weeks if a woman is having her third child; if she is having twins, the standard period of leave is 26 weeks and for triplets, 46. New mothers and fathers on parental leave receive a daily benefit equal to their average wage during the three month period before the birth, up to the social security ceiling of €3,218.

As is the case in other progressive countries, paternity leave is a hotly debated topic in France, with officials looking to extend the period of paid leave for new fathers (10). Despite the media’s assertion that ‘France has some of the most generous parental leave allowances in the world’, 2017 saw nearly 58,000 people sign a petition for six weeks of obligatory paternity leave. Individual supporters included economist Thomas Piketty, Charlie Hebdo contributors Renald Luzier and Patrick Pelloux and former footballer Vikash Dhorasoo.

As in France, statutory maternity leave in Spain is 16 weeks (11); a figure which rises to 18 weeks for twins and 20 weeks for triplets (although at least 6 weeks must be taken after the birth). Maternity leave is extended to 18 weeks in special circumstances and can be negotiated in scenarios where the mother’s job puts their pregnancy at risk. Additionally, breastfeeding mothers are entitled to two paid half-hour daily breaks to feed or express milk.

While the leave itself is fairly generous, however, the sum received in benefits isn’t guaranteed and depends on the mother’s salary, her contributions and which part of Spain she lives in. Ultimately, the employer will decide whether the new mother receives 100% of her salary: although thankfully, regional measures favour new mothers, with Madrid offering an economic stipend of €100 a month for working women.

Since July 2018, paternity leave has been set at 5 weeks, extended by 2 days for each additional child. This sum is more than double the UK paternity allowance, which is capped at 2 weeks with restrictive terms.

At the top of the TUC European League Table of Decently-Paid Maternity Leave, Croatia offers new mums 14 weeks of mandatory maternity leave: 28 days prior to the expected date of birth and up to 70 days after (12). Additional maternity leave can also be taken, however, until the baby is 6 months old- the mother can use this herself or return to work and transfer the leave, partially or fully, to the child’s father.

An employed or self-employed parent is also entitled to parental leave after the child reaches the age of 6 months, which they may use until the child reaches 8 years of age. This amounts to 8 months for the first and second child or 30 months for twins and every subsequent child and it is usual for parents to divide this leave evenly, each taking 4 or 15 months off work.

According to a recent news article (13), Estonia joins Croatia at the top of the league table for the best countries in which to claim maternity leave. The Northern European country provides three years of parental leave with guaranteed employment in the previous workplace upon returning from leave, and the first year and a half covered by a benefit amounting to 100% of previous earnings (14). While the system has been criticised for being too rigid, ‘driving parents (mostly mothers) away from the labour market’, it at least acknowledges the importance of family bonding time, and is also open to new fathers’ rights: considerable changes are being made ‘to better meet the needs of families’, including the introduction of a ‘daddy-month’ to motivate dads to take parental leave (14).

Over three years ago, insurance firm Aviva became one of the first UK employers to launch an equal parental leave policy, offering new parents in its UK business 12 months’ parental leave, with six months at full basic pay. Since then, figures from Aviva show the number of men and women now taking leave is almost equal, although mothers continue to take more time with an average of almost 44 weeks off, compared to almost 24 weeks for fathers. (Cosmopolitan UK)

David Geere, 31, is an international property underwriter at Zurich. He lives near Solihull, Warwickshire David took 16 weeks’ paternity leave when he and his wife Jenny, 34, had their sons, Oliver now 23 months and Charlie, 10 months.

He said: “When Jenny was pregnant with our eldest son, the most leave I could take was two weeks – and of course my pay would be reduced because you only get statutory paternity pay during that time.

“But just before Oliver arrived, Zurich introduced an enhanced parental leave scheme. It meant I could take 16 weeks off on full pay. Unlike the government scheme, we didn’t have to share our leave.

“With Oliver I took two weeks off then I went back to work and took the 14 weeks off as blocks over the year. I did the full 16 weeks when Charlie came along. I don’t know how parents survive on just two weeks. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

"innocent has always been a place of opportunity for me. I came from a different industry with no experience in FMCG, but I was hired and 3 years later I’ve just started in my third role. The opportunities afforded go way beyond just a job title – as a dad you rarely get the opportunity to spend more than a couple of weeks with your newborns, but at innocent they offer mums and dads the same access to parental leave, which meant I got to spend 6 months with my wife and our first child. It’s precious time that meant so much to my family."

Tariq Khan-Fontain: Product Manager at Innocent drinks 

If your company doesn’t already operate an equal pay policy, it’s time to consider how this could be negatively affecting your business as well as your employees. Gender pay gap expert Helene Reardon-Bond acknowledges that when businesses publish data that shows they pay women less than men, it can be damaging to their reputation; but by not publishing the data at all, they are likewise attracting suspicion (7). Where there is a discrepancy, the smart thing to do is publish a rationale to explain the figures and clarify future targets- even the harshest of critics can appreciate that numbers alone rarely tell the whole story.

In terms of parental leave, an open-minded approach is also likely to benefit your business in the long run.

• Increase access to flexible working by offering flexible working from day one a statutory right so that all employees have the right to request flexible working from the start of the job. Flexible working legislation stipulates that all employees can make a statutory application for flexible working, but only after working for the same employer for at least 26 weeks. Flexible working should be made a ‘day one’ statutory right. 
• Introduce a quota system for Shared Parental Leave similar to the Swedish model where a portion of leave time is allocated to partners, which will result in a loss of paid leave if they don’t use it. The Shared Parental Leave policy highlights the fact that men and women are equally responsible and capable of caring for their children. However, men are not taking Shared Parental Leave for financial reasons. 
• Introduce family-friendly policies that are aimed at men, women, and those caring for dependent adults as well as children.
• Review, amend and relaunch policies to encourage changes in culture regarding all varieties of flexible working. Allow teams and individuals to tailor flexibility and mobility to suit their own needs.
• Showcase positive male and female role models and communicate stories of how and when these policies have helped to balance work and care across your organisations.
• Encourage leaders to be open and honest about their own experiences. Examples of senior role models can illustrate that it’s not a hindrance on progression.
• Evidence career progression and attrition rates for those with caring responsibilities by measuring and monitoring data on carers, policy requests and approvals.
• Introduce a Carers’ Passport which highlights employee needs and agreed solutions.
• Publish information on parental leave, carers’ leave and pay arrangements to attract a more diverse workforce.
• Implement flexible working into all job roles, at all levels, unless there is a clear reason why a job cannot be done flexibly. Ensure this is regulated across the organisation.

(Equal Lives, 2019).  (15)