A German labor union in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is expressing concern over the low number of fathers receiving parental leave, the high part-time employment rate among mothers and the short parental leave often taken by men. According to the union, many couples fall back into traditional roles after the birth of a child, with the mother taking the majority of the parental leave and then reducing her work hours to care for the child and household, while the father continues to work full-time and is less involved in childcare.
The union’s chair, Anja Weber, told the Rheinische Post that the government must create more incentives for a more equal distribution of childcare responsibilities and make it easier for couples to share the burden of care work. To address the fear of reduced income during parental leave, the union is calling for a ten-day paid leave for new fathers and a reform of the parental leave benefits. The union also wants the number of partner months to be increased and the financial support to be adjusted for inflation.
On the other hand, the employers’ association in North Rhine-Westphalia rejects the union’s demands, saying that while a change in the division of labor can contribute to more partnership, it is essential to understand that there can be no additional leave requests and no expansion of parental leave in the aggregate. Instead, the association’s deputy head, Tanja Nackmayr, advocates for better childcare and a reform of the working hours law. According to her, many companies already offer their employees a lot of flexibility, but the daily maximum working hours and rigid rest periods set limits.