The Spanish left government decided, Tuesday, July 29, to increase the duration of maternity and paternity leave, which will both go from sixteen to nineteen weeks and will reach up to thirty-two weeks in the case of single-parent families.
This measure is the fruit of an agreement between the Prime Minister’s Socialist Party (PSOE), Pedro Sanchez, and the Radical Left Party Sumar, its ally within the government. The text was adopted during the last council of ministers before the summer break, after being announced the day before by the chief of the executive himself.
It carries from sixteen to seventeen weeks birth leave-each of which can benefit-during the first year of life of a child, six of whom must be taken after birth. To this are added two weeks to take before the child reaches the age of 8 years.
Funded “100 %” by social security
In the case of single-parent families, made up of almost 80 % by women according to the Spanish government, the leave is extended to thirty-two weeks. This new measure – which comes into force immediately, but must be ratified a posteriori by the Congress of Deputies – is in fact the compliance by Spain of a European directive.
But the government said in a statement that he wanted to go ” further “ and is committed to “Bring to twenty weeks the total duration of this type of leave during this legislature”which should normally end in the summer of 2027.
The Vice-Preminist Spanish Minister Yolanda Diaz (Sumar) also stressed that the measure would be funded “100 %” by social security. The government of Pedro Sanchez had decided in 2021 to give the same duration (then set at sixteen weeks) to maternity and paternity leave.
