Paternity leave will double from 14 days to 28 days. Partly mandatory, this measure will come into force in July 2021. A long-awaited decision that could allow young parents to forge deeper bonds with their child.
The duration of paternity leave will be extended to 28 days
Established in January 2002, paternity leave is open to ” pregnant woman’s salaried spouse […] or the employee bound to him by a civil solidarity pact or living in a conjugal relationship with him “. Today, paternity leave is set at 14 days – 11 funded by Social Security and 3 days of leave payable by the employer, at the birth of the child or when a child arrives at home. adopted. The duration of paternity leave will be extended to 4 weeks, with unchanged support from the employer.
A highly anticipated measure
This is a long-awaited decision by the government, feminist activists, unions and many fathers. Announced Tuesday evening after the delivery of Boris Cyrulnik’s report, it is finally President Emmanuel Macron who officially confirms the news during a trip to the maternal and child protection center (PMI) of Longjumeau in Essonne on Wednesday. Future fathers will be able to take advantage of this measure from July 1, 2021. The leave is partly compulsory: the young dad will have to take 7 days imposed on the 28 days. If this leave is not respected by the employer, the company is liable to a fine of € 7,500. This is a system already implemented with compulsory 8 weeks maternity leave. This measure also responds to societal challenges: more involvement in the education of children, distribution of household tasks, professional equality between men and women and the change of vision that motherhood is seen as a professional brake.
A report promoting the well-being of the child
This decision was taken after the submission of the “first 1000 days” report. This text, produced by a commission of experts and directed by neuropsychiatrist Bruno Cyrulnik, was introduced in September 2019 by Emmanuel Macron. The Élysée believes that ” time is an essential factor in forming an important bond between the child and the parents. 14 days is too short to have the time to forge this bond of attachment and, as a result, promote the best possible well-being and development for children. “. This is a ” very strong commitment ” for “ fight against the inequalities of destiny at the root As the Élysée emphasizes. The report recommended a paternity leave of 9 weeks, too long according to the French and which would be more expensive. This measure ” will already cost 260 million euros in 2021 [année d’entrée en vigueur] and double the following years, around 500 million »Reveals the Élysée.
