September 3, 2019
Different laws may encourage parents to develop stronger bonds with their children from birth (or not).
Fathers who care for their children from an early age tend to be more involved in their children’s lives. Research shows that fathers who take paternity leave are more likely to be involved in childcare, taking on tasks such as bathing and putting children to bed. When fathers participate more equally in caregiving and family life, the benefits are felt by fathers, mothers, and children alike.
The right to paternity leave is essential for men to have the opportunity to be with their children from the beginning, whether they are newborns or recently adopted. This right, guaranteed by law in Brazil, varies greatly around the world, affecting the way men in different countries relate to their children.
According to the most recent report “The State of the World’s Fathers” (2019), less than half of the countries in the world guarantee the right to paid paternity leave.
What is it like in Brazil?
While our country is one of the 34 countries that follow the International Labor Organization's recommendation of 14 weeks of maternity leave, fathers only have a leave of 5 consecutive days . Employees of companies participating in the Empresa Cidadã Program can extend this right to up to 20 days. Currently, there are more than 20 bills aimed at expanding fathers' rights, increasing this leave period.
Paid paternity leave around the world
Countries like the United States, Papua New Guinea and Suriname have no national laws guaranteeing leave for fathers — or even mothers.
At the other end of the spectrum, South Korea offers 53 optional weeks of paid paternity leave, and Japan offers 52 weeks, the equivalent of one year. Also in Asia, in India a father is entitled to take up to 15 working days, and in Iran two weeks of paternity leave are mandatory.
The European Commission has a minimum recommendation of 10 days of paternity leave. Meanwhile, many countries in this region offer longer leaves, such as France (28 weeks), Luxembourg (26 weeks) and Portugal (21 weeks). In Sweden, the leave is for 480 days — 68 weeks — which can be used by either the father or the mother until the child turns 12. Even with the recommendation of 10.
In Latin America, Ecuador and Venezuela, paternity leave is two weeks. In Chile, as in Brazil, leave for fathers is five consecutive days, but fathers can share parental leave with mothers of up to six weeks. (Sources: OECD Family Database, International Labour Organization)
Each country has a different sociocultural context, the leave periods vary in both the number of days and the salary, and not all paternity leave is mandatory. What we know from research is that:
- Quality interactions between parents and children contribute to children’s development and increase their chances of success in adult life ( Maternity and paternity at work report, ILO) .
- Expanding and improving the right to paid paternity leave is essential to enable fathers to be involved in caring for their children from an early age, and to reduce inequality between mothers and fathers in work inside and outside the home. Public policies favor opportunities for men and women to be involved with their children, impacting the lives of all family members.