Last Friday the Government of Spain announced the extension of the paternity leave from two weeks to a month from January 1, 2017 in case of birth, adoption or reception, and with the intention, later, to extend to eight weeks paternity and maternity leave, with another ten weeks transferable and distributed between both parents.
Although many find it insufficient if we compare it with other countries, it is a measure that men who will be fathers will soon be grateful, and especially the newborn, who is the real beneficiary. The four-week leave places us better on the outlook for paternity leave, so we wanted to know how are paternity leave in the world.
Paternity leave in Europe
Source: Integral Labor Organization (ILO) Nordic countries (Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway) they are the most advantageous in social policies, with measures that promote equality between father and mother and facilitate work and family reconciliation. Norway grants 112 days
However, with the extension of the permit, Spain together with Portugal are among their four weeks among the countries with the highest period of parental leave with a salary of one hundred percent of the salary. In other countries, even if more weeks of permission are provided, parents have to give up part of their salary.
According to the OECD, the use of parental leave for men is increasing in recent years, however still not too well seen that the father takes the full parental leave. In the Nordic countries and in Portugal, up to 40% of parents use it, but in counterpart countries like Australia, the Czech Republic and Poland the proportion is one in fifty parents.
The average among the OECD countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) stands at 2 months paternity leave (8 weeks). The European average is in 12.5 days.
In Finland, male participation doubled between 2006 and 2013, while in Belgium it grew by almost 10% during approximately the same period. However, some countries have seen few changes. In Austria and France, men represent only 4% of parents who take their leave, in general the same as a decade ago.
France, for example, is the country with a wider, seven-month recognized permit, although only 4% of parents use it, because only the first two weeks are paid.
In the queue is Italy with a 100% paid leave day.
In search of equality
In general, the differences between the period granted to the father and the mother are very marked, but Europe has the most egalitarian policies with countries where the leave is shared in equal or almost equal parts between the mother and the father, such as:
Sweden: 480 days (16 months) shared between father and mother, and receiving 80% up to 390 days. The father has the obligation to take at least 90 working days from birth. There is only one condition, parents have to share that permission with the mothers. Thus, to promote that both parents raise their children, the Swedish government ordered that 90 of the 480 days be "months for dad" or "months for the couple."
Romania: 126 days for father and mother.
Germany: You have permission on the day of delivery. After childbirth you can enjoy up to one year of excess of 67 percent.
Iceland: both have 90 days at 80 percent + 90 days to share with the father / mother.
Paternity leave in the world
We have made a graph in which we can compare the days granted by paid paternity leave in some countries, according to data from the OECD and the ILO (Integral Labor Organization).
Paternity leave in Asia and Oceania
Few countries recognize this parental leave. South Korea and Japan are the most generous countries with parents. For example, Korea is the OECD country where parents can enjoy more weeks of leave: 52.6, but during this time they receive 30% of their salary.
The same happens in Japan, where they can receive 52 weeks of leave, with a pay of 58.4%. In Oceania, the countries that offer the most days are Australia and New Zealand, both 14 days of permission for recent parents.
Paternity leave in America
Here too the differences are very noticeable. In Canada the father can enjoy 5 weeks of leave after the birth of a child that can reach up to 50 weeks, while in the United States the situation is particular.
In the United States there is no paid leave for maternity or paternity. US legislation only protects the job for workers for 12 weeks after having a child, and this only happens in companies with more than 50 workers and without receiving any salary.
It is the companies themselves that grant paid leave, however, less than 20% of employers in the United States offer paternity leave with pay.
Venezuela grants 14 days of paternity leave and the rest of Latin American countries between 10 and two days: Ecuador, 10; Colombia, 8; Brazil, Chile and Mexico, 5; Peru 4; Paraguay, 3; Argentina and Guatemala, 2. There are countries that do not grant any day like Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
