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In Austria, to get the full parental leave, both parents need to participate

2 mins read
September 22, 2023

Seeking to enhance shared responsibility between parents in raising a child, Austria has voted on a law in which both parents should each take at least two months of parental leave. Otherwise, two months of the whole parental leave will be forfeited. An exception is provided for single mothers.

father with baby
Illustration | © brooklyngrace

In Austria, new parental leave rules are introduced to enhance the equal responsibility between parents in childcare and nursing.

On September 20, the National Council of Austria reformed parental leave rules in which both parents need to take at least two months of leave. Only then will the family be entitled to the full 24 months of parental leave, which can be shared between parents. For those who do not, the duration of the entire leave is reduced to 22 months.

The government coalition between the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and The Greens (Die Grünen) reached an agreement with the New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS) to vote on this change.

There are exceptions to the new system. The 2‑month deduction will not apply to single parents, even if it’s unsure how that definition will be met. Additionally, an amendment put by the ÖVP and Greens allows families in which one parent is not entitled to a leave, because of self-employment or unemployment, to benefit for the full 24 months for the other parent.

The new regulation was prompted by the 2019 European Union’s Work-Life Balance Directive to promote gender equality. It states that all EU member states must offer at least ten days of paid paternity leave. However, new rules were criticized by the opposition.

The 22+2 model takes maternity leave away from women

Petra Wimmer of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) stated during the 230th session of the National Council that the “22+2” model takes maternity leave away from women if their partners do not want to take the leave. She further argues that even if many families would like to share childcare responsibilities, many cannot do so due to financial reasons.

The representative of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), Rosa Ecker, agrees and finds the model complicated. Her colleague, Peter Schmiedlechner, stated that taking away two months of parental leave from mothers and obligating fathers to take parental leave does not provide freedom of choice and autonomy. The party further argued that the added responsibilities on fathers might still be considered a burden for them and will not influence their participation.

4.5% of the days for parental leave taken by fathers

The Greens and the NEOS, on the other hand, defended the changes. Greens Member of Parliament Meri Disoski emphasized the importance of fathers’ involvement as it promotes fair distribution of caregiving.

ÖVP and the Greens reinstated that the total duration of parental leave remains the same and will now be divided between both parents. The coalition and the NEOS believe this is a practical solution to promote fathers’ involvement as they stress that parental leave should not be a women’s issue but a family one.

Even though parental leave was introduced in 1990 in Austria, the father’s participation remains low despite consecutive and continuous improvements in regulations and various incentives like financial bonuses for sharing the leave.

In 2022, Austria passed a law conditioning parental leave for the father if they shared the same household.

According to the non-profit Association for Men’s and Gender Issues, only 4.5% of the days for parental leave in 2018 were taken by fathers. With the new regulation in place, it remains to be seen how this measure and incentive will impact and reshape the landscape of parental leave in the country.

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Monika Filipovic

Monika Filipović is a writer for Newsendip.

She is Croatian and graduated in political science and in European and international studies. She has experience working in the European Union Parliament.