Spain has extended its paternity leave to …

The Spanish government of Pedro Sánchez has approved by decree the extension of paternity leave, which will now be eight weeks, three more than those planned so far. As explained by Pedro Sánchez, the goal is to "gradually badimilate the permit to maternity leave", which will be extended to 12 weeks in 2020 and to 16 weeks in 2021 to reduce gender disparities In the working world. In Argentina, parents have only two days off, the shortest at the regional level, according to UNICEF.

The "Decree-Law on Equality at Work" came into effect today and increases the time of work stoppage to obtain "equal and non-transferable" "birth permits" for women. two parents without distinction. The measure includes "delivery or adoption" and "care of the child under 12 months". Permission may be granted without interruption for the first two weeks after delivery, while the remaining six weeks may be ordered from the end of compulsory rest after childbirth until such time as Child or daughter is twelve months old.

With this measure, which will have to be validated by the Congress of Deputies, Spain is positioning itself at the head of Europe on paternity leave and equal maternity. One of the major problems that women face in the workplace, which perpetuates inequality, relates to the tasks of care, especially after childbirth. For the International Labor Organization, maternity penalizes women at work both in terms of access to employment and wages, because social pressure forces women "to be the main caregivers ".

Iceland is considered to be the most egalitarian European country in this respect, as the license is of five months duration for each parent, to which are added two more transferable months. Within the European Union, Sweden is the country that has had the most time with a paid parental leave of 480 days (16 months), of which "90 are reserved for each parent and are not transferable, the rest of the time can be shared with each other ". The least egalitarian countries are Holland and Italy, where parents are only allowed three and five days off, respectively.

Argentina, meanwhile, has one of the lowest rates in the region. MEPs are currently debating a pay equity and parental leave bill to extend paternity leave, which is currently 2 to 15 days, well below the Spanish eight weeks. Last year, UNICEF urged the Argentine government to add more days to the current program because they denounced the fact that it undermines "the role of men in the education of children. "

"In Argentina, the licensing system provides for 90 days for women and two days for men, making it the shortest paternity leave in the region," said in a statement on Father's Day. last year.