Take-up rate of parental and paternity leave remains low across Europe

(Dublin, Ireland): Leave from work related to the birth of a child still tends to be strongly associated with mothers, while less attention is paid to the fathers’ situation. This is the key finding of Eurofound's new report on 'Promoting uptake of parental and paternity leave among fathers in the European Union', which is based on data collected from across Europe between July and October 2014.

The take-up rate of parental and paternity leave among fathers has been increasing in most Member States, but it is still relatively low across the EU. The level of compensation, the flexibility of the leave system, the availability of information, and the extent to which workers fear isolation from the labour market when taking leave are highlighted as key factors. All EU Member States have some form of parental leave in place which fathers are entitled to, however these systems vary greatly between member states, both in terms of duration and the amount of compensation involved. 

This means that children born in different countries have different chances of spending time with their fathers in the first days of their lives. For example, children born in Finland or Portugal are more likely to have their fathers spend more time with them than children in most other EU Member States.

There are different ways to promote fathers’ take-up of paternal and paternity leave. Some EU Member States provide incentives for fathers through granting bonuses in cash or in extra leave days to parents who share their parental leave.

Others schemes reserve a certain portion of parental leave for fathers which will be lost if not taken. Ensuring that some parental leave is exclusively available for men prompts fathers to take it, thus promoting fatherhood. It also promotes and facilitates mothers’ reintegration to work after maternity and parental leave.

Creating conditions for a more balanced distribution of care responsibilities between both parents is a win-win policy as it contributes to an increase in the participation of men and women in employment, and can encourage a more fair distribution of responsibilities in the home.