Social Security has released the figures for maternity and paternity leave of 2018, as well as the number of parents who requested leave to care for their children on the same dates.
It is striking that the number of requests for parental benefits exceeds that of mothers, although both requests fell in relation to the previous year (2017). Of course, the surpluses increased. We study the reasons that have caused these changes in family reconciliation.
About 6% less maternity leave
Workers can benefit from maternity and paternity benefits when they have a biological, adopted or foster child. These are paid directly by Social Security and is equivalent to one hundred percent of the regulatory base.
In Babies and more Maternity leave in Spain: how long does the maternity leave last in each situationSocial Security has invested more than 1,924.57 million euros in 2018 to pay maternity benefits (1,475.87 million euros) and paternity benefits (448.7 million euros).
Over the past year, they were processed 252,706 maternity proceedings and 255,531 paternity proceedings. Both figures have fallen compared to the previous year due to a decrease in birthrate. Specifically, there has been a reduction of one 5.82% in maternity processes and 3.44% in paternity processes.
Regarding spending, the payroll for maternity benefits has fallen by 2.85%, while paternity benefits have increased by 12.19%. This is a consequence of the extension of the paternity leave from 4 to 5 weeks in July last year.
Of the total maternity benefits, the majority, 247,975, correspond to permits enjoyed by the mother and 4,731 to maternity leave shared by the father.
Catalonia, the community with the most paternity leave
Paternity leave by autonomous communities
Graphic prepared by the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Social Security The highest number of paternity leave has corresponded to Catalonia (47,820), Madrid (40,741), Andalusia (43,711), the Valencian Community (24,950) and the Basque Country (12,584).
In Babies and more Paternity leave in Spain: how long does parental leave last in each situation?Leave of absence remains a matter of mothers
Comparison of leave between parents
Graphic prepared by the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Social Security Social Security explains that "Workers can request leave to take care of their child or foster child." And, at this point, it seems that childcare still eminently feminine.
In 2018, there were 57,057 family leave leave, of which 51,036 correspond to applications submitted by women and 6,021 by men.
These numbers assume a 1,924 surplus increase compared to 2017.
By autonomous communities, the highest number of leave has occurred in Madrid (13,839), Catalonia (8,421), Andalusia (6,256), Valencian Community (5,183), and the Basque Country (5,350).
In Babies and more Childcare leave: everything you need to know before requesting itWhat are the reasons:
Although the figures collected by Social Security seem to point to a change in attitude in childcare, with greater involvement of the father, to delve deeper we find other reasons:
Isn't it true that the difficulties in reconciling family and work in our country lead many mothers to consider staying at home to take care of their children? Hence, the fact that there were fewer applications for maternity benefits in 2018 may be due not so much to a greater distribution of responsibilities between fathers and mothers, but to the fact that there are more unemployed women than men and, therefore, cannot Request permission.
That lack of 'co-responsibility' is reinforced by the fact that if both parents work, it is the mother who asks for a leave of absence, as the data reflects.
In addition, parents can request permission after the baby is born, while the mother must take it after birth. For that reason, the increase in paternity leave may be due to the accumulation of the previous year's permit, as in the case of Pablo Iglesias: his children were born in 2018 and he is enjoying his leave in 2019, so the benefit will be reflected in 2019.
But we are open to know more reflections and to know if there really is this change of mentality in the care of children, as the latest figures suggest, or there is a long way to go.
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