Since yesterday, September 1, Basque parents who work for the Public Administration already have 18-week paternity leave, similar to what the Basque civil servants currently have.
According to the Basque Government, among the main objectives of this measure is favor the reconciliation of public workers and promote equality between men and women when it comes to caring for their children.
Equal, non-transferable and above the Spanish average permits
The measure was officiated by the Basque Government three months ago, but it was yesterday when it entered into force, benefiting 70,000 public workers They work in the General Administration of Euskadi, Security, Osakidetza, Education and Administration of Justice.
This is how from now on, the Basque civil servants parents will have 18-week paternity leave, equating the permission that the official mothers already have. In this way, both permits are already equal, non-transferable and 100% paid to take care of children, both by birth, adoption, foster care or subrogation.
"With this measure there is a qualitative leap in terms of full equality of women and men, and thus contributes to correcting the imbalance involved in the unequal distribution of childcare activities between both sexes "
"It is demonstrated that the involvement of men in the care of sons and daughters is a key element for the empowerment of women, their development and well-being; that it promotes birth and contributes to the emotional well-being of men themselves, in addition to being a key element in the prevention of gender violence "- said the Deputy Minister of Public Function, Andrés Zearreta
Even though this measure only affects Basque public sector workersBasque parents from the private sector will also have equal permits to those of mothers from this fall (the exact date is not yet known), although with two weeks less permission than the officials.
In this way, Euskadi has already become the first autonomous community to equate maternity and paternity leave.
In Babies and more, parents in the Basque Country will have a 16-week paternity leave from autumn 2019And what happens in the rest of Spain?
As we say, the measure places the Basque Country in the first autonomous community, not only in equating both permits, but in having two more weeks with respect to the maternity leave available to the rest of Spanish mothers.
Regarding equality, the Government of Spain has already approved the equalization of both permits to 16 weeks, but this comparison will be progressive and will not occur until 2021. So, for the moment, Spanish parents have an eight-week paternity leave, which will rise to 12 weeks from January next year.
In Babies and more Paternity and maternity permits in Spain: this has evolved over the yearsAnd in regards to the extension of maternity leave in SpainFor years it has been asking to increase it to a minimum of six months, being consistent with the WHO guidelines that recommend exclusive breastfeeding during that period.
We are happy for the Basque families in which fathers and mothers can enjoy the first months together with their children, but we hope that this measure can soon be a reality in the rest of the autonomous communities.
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