The parental leave laws in a country reflect its stance on gender equality. Countries that divide responsibilities equally between the two parents break away from conventional gender stereotypes and roles and promote gender equality. In this blog, we will discuss Countries that are leading the way in regard to parental leave laws.
Countries that offer Generous Parental Leave Laws
1) Finland
Even though the Finnish language is a combination of its Estonian and Hungarian counterparts, the country’s parental leave laws are very Scandinavian. Both parents are eligible for 164-day leave periods each, and either parent can transfer up to 69 days from their quota towards the other’s quota. The parents receive the allowance until their child is 13 weeks (three months and one week) old. The state allows single parents to use the allowance for both parents.
Despite all these flexibilities, very few Finnish fathers utilize the leave allotment, which shows that the country still has work to do to combat gender imbalances.
2) Germany
Germany is perhaps the only non-Scandinavian country with extremely generous parental leave laws. Even though Germany has traditionally been a country that expects mothers to remain at home, it has managed to significantly reduce these gender gaps. During the mid-2000s, Germany introduced a number of laws that allowed and encouraged women to return to employment. Employees can enjoy a parental leave of up to three years. The parents can either claim this time simultaneously or separately. These laws apply whether the child is adopted or natural.
During the parental leave period, employees have the option to work a maximum of 30 weekly hours. Besides, if a German child is born after the 1st of July 2015, the parents become eligible for an allowance that is covered by the state. This allowance is provided for a maximum of 24 months, and this period is increased to 28 months should both the parents decide to take their parental leaves simultaneously.
3) Iceland
While Iceland might have one of the world’s smallest populations, is has one of the world’s most magnanimous parental leave structures. Parents can obtain 39 paid weeks of leave, during which they get 80% of their salary. Either parent can get a 13-week break from work, while the remainder can be shared between the parents however they see fit.
Icelandic fathers utilize 45% of their parental leave, which shows that the country is a progressive one that is steadily challenging and overcoming gender inequalities.
Final Word
To sum up, Finland, Germany, and Iceland are some of the most progressive countries in the world, as evidenced by their generous and liberal parental leave packages. To learn more about parental leave laws throughout the world, check out some of the other blogs on our website.
