Berlin, 05 September 2023 – The family organisations united in the AGF call on the Federal Government to immediately introduce the two-week paid leave for fathers and second parents after the birth of a child, which was agreed in the coalition agreement and has already been announced several times as “family start time”.
“The family organisations hilghly support the plans to introduce a leave for fathers and second parents,” explains the Chairman of the AGF, Dr Klaus Zeh, and continues: “For one, the mother finds some refief after birth. Therefore, the leave must also include a corresponding solution for single parents. Second, the involvement of fathers in early childcare tasks is very much desired by themselves as well by society and helps them to build a close father-child relationship at an early age”.
The associations point out that for good reasons there is a corresponding demand provided for in the so-called Work-Life-Package of the European Union. However, the deadline for national implementation had already passed on 2 August 2022.
Although the introduction of such a leave is provided for in the coalition agreement and a corresponding draft by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs already saw the light of day in April this year, the family organisations do not see any progress in this field.
“Particularly in view of the preparatory work already done, there is little understanding within the family organisations that this plan has not long been passed in parliament and that implementation has not been started. This is overdue – especially since the current drafts plan to implement the fathers leave in the law for maternity protection, which means that it does not lead to a burden on the federal budget. We see the danger that this important family and equality policy project will be postponed further and further or even disappear from the agenda altogether. Therefore, we call on the government to present a draft law now, directly after the summer break, and thus to make a valid offer to expectant parents at the beginning of next year,” emphasises Dr. Zeh.