© RTL
Although an increasing number of men reject traditional roles and look to be more involved in the upbringing of their children, reality does not always allow them to actually break the norm.
Studies tend to show that couples are more well-balanced, divorce rates decrease, and children benefit if fathers participate more actively in their kids’ upbringing. And many dads nowadays have a more pronounced desire to spend time with their children.
However, reality often looks different. A German report on fatherhood from last year found that while 55% of dads say that they want to take care of their children half of the time, most only manage to get to 25%. For women, the rate is only 10%. What is preventing them from reaching their desired rates?
Looking at parental leave in Luxembourg, it is clear that an increasing number of fathers make use of the offer to spend more time with their children. In fact, since the 2016 reform, requests from fathers have increased fivefold. Since 2019, the number of fathers applying for parental leave is even bigger than that of mothers.
© Eurostat / RTL Grafik
At first glance, it thus looks as though these numbers indicate a step into the right direction in terms of equality and that fathers are just as involved in the upbringing of children as mothers are. But, some significant differences remain.
While the majority of women opt to take all of their leave days in one go, close to half of men tend to divide their available days to one off-day per week across a period of 20 months, or alternate between off- and on-months during that same period.
Our colleagues from RTL discussed the issue with Jean Fischbach from the ‘Liewensufank’ (‘Beginning of Life’) initiative. He explained that there is also a difference between the relationships that fathers and mothers develop with their children right after birth.
Fischbach noted: “Studies have been done in Germany, which showed that men who go on full leave during two to three months … end up being more involved, meaning they are more present and also willing to reduce their work hours. The role of the family is valorised since they make more positive experiences at home.”
To further approach the goal of a fully equal upbringing, the ‘Liewensufank’ initiative is offering courses specially designed for future fathers. Fischbach underlined that while women are at a biological advantage, men have to catch up when it comes to building a relationship with their children.
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Fathers can request paternal leave at the earliest after the end of maternal leave, which is three months after the birth of a child. The equivalent for fathers used to be only two days, but was increased to ten in 2019. Although that is a step in the right direction, the ‘Liewensufank’ initiative believes there is still room for improvement.
The organisation ‘CID Women and Gender’ shares this position and advocates for “egalitarian leave”, meaning three months regardless of sex. However, the response from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy does not seem to be promising, with officials arguing that fathers’ leave period was only recently extended.
CID spokesperson Isabelle Schmoetten explained that this change is actually based on an EU directive that introduced a minimum of two weeks of leave for fathers: “That was not exactly the progressive policy of Luxembourg alone. … Compared to other countries, we are now slightly above the required minimum. Belgium has six weeks, France four weeks, and Spain even 16. So, there really is room for improvement.”
Parental leave has become more flexible since the latest adjustments were made. However, there are no plans to allow fathers to take parental leave right after their ten days of paternal leave has come to an end.
According to Minister for Family Affairs and Integration Corinne Cahen, a recent study showed that there was no graspable desire for change in this aspect. On the contrary, it seems that more people want to divide parental leave.
© Eurostat / RTL Grafik
Fischbach believes that sustainable equality can only be achieved when both parents have equal access to early leave. He thinks the Swedish approach is commendable in that it has long valued the role of fathers in its society.