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Committee Opinion | Doc. 13208 | 14 May 2013
Parental leave as a way to foster gender equality
Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
A. Conclusions of the committee
(open)1. The committee welcomes the report prepared by Mr
Andrea Rigoni on behalf of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination,
considering that it is the appropriate time to address this issue,
which is currently becoming a challenge for an increasing number
of European countries. The draft resolution is very much to the
point, clearly putting the emphasis on measures to increase the
proportion of men taking parental leave in order to take care of
their newborn or very young children.
2. The Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
believes that certain social and economic realities necessitate
an additional focus on proposing realistic steps towards more gender
equality, not only in the use of parental leave schemes but also
in the labour market in general, and in the sharing of care responsibilities
when parental leave has ended.
3. The Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
would therefore like to suggest a few amendments to the draft resolution
as set out below, notably to increase its impact in member States.
B. Proposed amendments
(open)Amendment A (to the draft resolution)
In the draft resolution, replace paragraph 3.2 with the following paragraph:
“mobilise sufficient resources to support the implementation of parental leave schemes through financial incentives, information and awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the general public and promotional measures encouraging men in particular to use their leave entitlement;”
Amendment B (to the draft resolution)
In the draft resolution, replace paragraph 3.3 with the following paragraph:
“incorporate parental leave in a framework of policies, in particular adequate early childhood education and care policies, allowing both parents to reconcile private and working life according to flexible arrangements corresponding to their specific wishes and requirements.”
Amendment C (to the draft resolution)
In the draft resolution, at the end of paragraph 5, add the following words:
“, and the reintegration of both women and men into the labour market by offering them flexible employment and childcare schemes once parental leave has ended.”
C. Explanatory memorandum by Ms Ohlsson, rapporteur for opinion
(open)1. The report by the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination
deals with a very important issue. As the report rightly mentions,
parental leave for both the mother and the father of a family started
to become a social reality in my own country, Sweden, already in
the 1970s. However, in Sweden, this development did not take place
all by itself but was actively promoted by public authorities at
various levels.
2. The Swedish example, as well as similar examples in other
countries, has shown that social progress can truly be achieved
following governmental action if sufficient means and resources
are employed. However, for such an ambitious social objective to
be achieved, it needs to be jointly defined as a priority and actively promoted
by various social partners acting hand in hand, and all conditions
need to be united to make the project a success in the long run.
3. As rapporteur for opinion, I warmly welcome the report prepared
by Mr Andrea Rigoni. It includes a well-researched explanatory memorandum
and a draft resolution which is succinct and well focused, clearly
putting the emphasis on measures to increase the proportion of men
taking parental leave in order to take care of their newborn or
very young children.
4. The explanatory memorandum lists a number of innovative measures
taken by member States in past decades, which may directly inspire
stakeholders in other member States considering launching similar policies.
Moreover, the text elaborates on action required with regard to
the successful implementation of new parental leave schemes, such
as the need to couple these with awareness-raising campaigns.
5. Nevertheless, the draft resolution merits a few minor additions
in order to increase its chances of having an impact on member States’
policies regarding parental leave. There are certain aspects it
superficially touches upon, for example by referring to Resolution 1921 (2013) of the Parliamentary Assembly on gender equality, reconciliation
of private and working life and co-responsibility, but which are,
in my view, more directly related to implementing new parental leave
schemes than is presented in the draft resolution.
6. This is, in particular, the case for the integration of women,
and in particular mothers after the birth of their children, into
the labour market according to appropriate and flexible conditions,
and the need to make sufficient public financial resources available
to establish and promote new parental leave schemes, not least by
creating financial incentives to generate more interest amongst
men to share parental leave periods with their partners.
7. The recent example of Germany, where a so-called “Elterngeld” (parental benefit)
was introduced in 2007, allowing parents to benefit from up to 67%
of their net income for a maximum of 14 months (if shared between
the two parents at a 12 months/2 months ratio), showed that such
financial incentives are an effective means to promote new parental
leave schemes, and in particular the interest of men in these. However,
this new policy, in its initial phase, cost the German Government
around 4 billion euros per year. Those promoting new parental leave
schemes must therefore also realise and admit that social innovation
of this kind also has a financial cost. 
8. For me as a women and as a parliamentarian from Sweden, where
we have many years of experience with gender-neutral parental leave
schemes as I have just described above, the objective of innovative
parental leave schemes should not only be “to promote the take-up
of parental leave by fathers” and thus to promote gender equality
within parental leave arrangements. It should also be to ensure
that such new arrangements contribute to more gender equality generally
and in the long term, by facilitating the access of women to employment
corresponding to their qualifications and time requirements – and
by ensuring that care arrangements are shared equally between women
and men when the parental leave has ended.
9. There is no point in facilitating the return of women into
their work places after child birth if the medium and long term
solutions to reconcile private and working life are not satisfactory
and viable for both parents. Especially in a gender perspective,
modern parental leave schemes are clearly inseparably connected
with policies promoting a better reconciliation of private and working
life for women and men. This aspect should once again be emphasised
explicitly.
10. I would therefore like to suggest a few amendments to the
text, in order to allow the Assembly to propose steps towards more
gender equality, not only in the use of parental leave schemes but
also in the labour market and thus society in general.
11. Amendments B and C are thus intended to ensure that
greater emphasis is put on the interconnection of policies related
to parental leave with general policies aimed at improving the reconciliation
of private and working life for women and men in the long term. Amendment A for its part introduces
the, entirely realistic, reference to a sufficient level of resources
to be made available for the policies that are asked for. Additional resources
will certainly be required, be it for more ambitious schemes offering
financial incentives or for awareness-raising and promotional measures
“only”.