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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 May 3.
Published in final edited form as: Eur J Soc Secur. 2017 Mar 9;16(4):308–346. doi: 10.1177/138826271401600403

Table 1.

Paternity and parental leave schemes across the OECD, 2011

Paternity leave1 % rate of allowance2 FRE paid paternity leave Year of introduction - paternity leave (or parental leave for fathers) Parental leave3 Characteristics of parental leave Incentives for fathers to take leave Transferring part of maternity leave to fathers without exceptional circumstances
Father’s quota Bonus
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (7) (8)
Australia4 .. .. .. 2013 52 weeks per parent - unpaid Individual entitlement .. .. ..
Austria .. .. .. 1990 (parental leave) Parents can choose between 5 payment and duration options until child reaches age 2 Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. Bonus - in the 5 different schemes there are paid ‘partner’ months for the exclusive use of the other parent ..
Belgium 2 weeks (three days obligatory) 87.4 1.2 1961 16 weeks per parent Individual entitlement .. .. ..
Canada (Quebec) 3 to 5 weeks 75 or 70 .. 2006 35 weeks Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. .. ..
Chile 1.0 100.0 1.0 2005 .. .. .. .. ..
Czech Republic .. .. .. 2001 (parental leave – employment protected for fathers) 156 weeks per parent until child reaches age 3 Individual entitlement .. .. yes
Denmark 2.0 55.0 1.1 1984 32 weeks Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose, but the total leave period cannot exceed more than 32 weeks per family 3 weeks (only in industrial sector) .. ..
Estonia 2.0 0.0 0.0 2008 156 weeks per parent until child reaches age 3 Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. .. ..
Finland 3+4 bonus weeks 70.0 4.9 1991 26.5 weeks Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. 4 ‘bonus weeks’ if father takes at least 2 weeks of parental leave ..
France 2.0 100.0 2.0 2002 156 weeks per parent until child reaches age 3 Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. .. ..
Germany5 8.0 67.4 5.4 2007 156 weeks per parent until child reaches age 3 Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. Overall length of benefit payment is extended to 14 months if father takes at least 2 months of leave ..
Greece 0.4 100.0 0.4 2000 14 weeks per parent - unpaid Individual entitlement .. .. ..
Hungary 1.0 100.0 1.0 2002 156 weeks per parent until child reaches age 3 Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. .. ..
Iceland 13.0 64.6 8.4 1998 13 weeks per parent Mixed entitlement, a total leave of 9 months (including maternity, paternity and parental leave) can be used 13 weeks .. ..
Ireland .. .. .. .. 14 weeks per parent - unpaid Individual entitlement .. .. ..
Italy .. .. .. .. 26 weeks per parent Individual entitlement, w ith total amount of leave not exceeding 10 months .. 1 month bonus if father takes at least 3 months of leave ..
Japan .. .. .. 2010 –introduction of bonus 52 weeks + 8 weeks ‘sharing bonus’ Individual entitlement .. 2 month bonus if parents share leave ..
Korea 0.4 100.0 0.4 2008 45.6 weeks Individual entitlement, but parents cannot take leave at the same time .. .. ..
Luxembourg 0.4 100.0 0.4 1962 26 weeks per parent - paid Individual entitlement .. .. ..
Mexico .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Netherlands 0.4 100.0 0.4 2001 26 weeks per parent until child is 8 Individual entitlement .. .. ..
New Zealand 1 or 2 depending on eligibility 0.0 0.0 1987 - extension of parental leave to fathers 52 weeks including maternity and paternity leave Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. .. ..
Norway 2 + 12 fathers’ quota 85.7 12.0 1993 27 or 37 weeks depending on payment level Mixed entitlement, part family part individual 12 weeks .. ..
Poland 2.0 100.0 2.0 1996 156 weeks until child reaches age 4 Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. .. yes
Portugal 4 weeks (10 days obligatory) 100.0 4.0 1995 12 weeks to be shared Mixed entitlement, part family part individual .. 1 month bonus if parents share intial leave and father takes 2 weeks of paternity leave (the latter compulsory) ..
Slovak Republic .. .. .. .. 136.0 Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. .. ..
Slovenia 13.0 26.9 3.5 2003 37 weeks Family entitlement to be divided between parents as they choose .. .. ..
Spain 3.0 100.0 3.0 2007 156 weeks per parent - unpaid Individual entitlement .. .. yes
Sweden 10.0 80.0 8.0 1980 68.6 weeks in total: 8.5 weeks reserved for each parent and 51.6 to be split into half (the latter can be transferred between parents) Mixed entitlement, part family part individual 8.5 weeks Gender equality bonus: parents receive €5.6 each per day for every day they use the leave equally ..
Switzerland .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Turkey .. .. .. .. 26.0 .. .. ..
United Kingdom 2.0 20.0 0.4 2003 13 weeks per parent - unpaid Individual entitlement .. .. yes
United States6 .. .. .. 1993 12 weeks unpaid .. .. .. ..
1

Information refers to the entitlement for paternity leave in a strict sense and the bonus (for example, Germany) or father quota included in some parental leave regulations (for example, Finland, Iceland and Norway). In Finland,

2

The “rate of allowance” is defined as the ratio between the full-time equivalent payment and the corresponding entitlement in number of weeks.

3

Information refers to parental leave and subsequent prolonged periods of paid leave to care for young children (sometimes under a different name as for example, “childcare leave” or “Home care leave”, or the Complément de Libre Choix d’Activité in France). In all, prolonged periods of leave can be taken in Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Norway, Poland and Spain.

4

In Australia, the introduction of two weeks paid paternity leave will take place from 1 January 2013.

5

This 8 weeks correpond to the bonus given if fathers make use of 2 months of parental leave.

6

Through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), entitled eligible employees may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, employment-protected leave in a 12-month period for specific family and medical reasons. Although the table presents federal statutory entitlements, the United States also has parental leave schemes at the state level. Ten states plus the District of Columbia have laws that give some male workers employment-protected paternity leave. The length of leave varies between 4 and 18 weeks.

Source: Moss (2012) and OECD (2012b) - indicator PF2.5