Advertisement

Paternity leave on the rise in Germany

DDP/The Local
DDP/The Local - [email protected]
Paternity leave on the rise in Germany
Photo: dpa

A recent poll shows that more fathers are taking advantage of the paternity leave offered by the German government.

Advertisement

According to a recent poll conducted by Hanover daily Neue Presse, requests for paternity leave are increasing.

The paper reports that between 9 and 13 percent of the authorized parental benefits across the country were from fathers. A German law instated last year is valid for children born after January 1, 2007, and pays new parents a portion of their salaries so they can stay home with their baby. This law is likely responsible for the increase in fathers taking paternity leave. Official numbers could still increase because parental benefits can be claimed retroactively for up to three months.

On Friday, the German Federal Statistical Office plans to publish the country's parental benefit figures for 2007.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also