Last June, We could present a Proposal of Law in the Congress of Deputies so that paternity and maternity leave are equal until 16 weeks, non-transferable and 100% remunerated. The proposal, which had the unanimous support of all political forces, is in the parliamentary process and is expected to be approved soon.
The equalization of both permits has generated a great social debate. On the one hand, those who believe that it is an important step to favor family reconciliation and co-responsibility. On the other hand, those who claim that men and women are biologically different, in addition to that such measure is not paying attention to the needs of the baby, or the rights that mothers have been claiming for so long. Next we will analyze in depth both positions.
In favor of extending maternity leave
The Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics
The first to position themselves after the announcement of the proposal was the Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics (AEPap), which issued an official statement alleging that the priority should not be the equalization of both permits, but the extension of maternity leave up to a minimum of six months, with the aim of promoting exclusive breastfeeding until during this time, as recommended by WHO.
In Babies and more According to the AEPap, maternity leave should be extended to at least six monthsThe AEPap considers it beneficial to extend the paternity leave (currently set in five weeks), but proposes that they can be transferable if both parents so wish, and that they can be enjoyed successively and not simultaneously.
Advertising"When considering legislation on this issue, we consider that the priority objective should be to extend the mothers permission for at least six months and that the parental licenses are transferable. Both must be remunerated. "
"If the legislative amendment does not reflect this aspect, Spanish mothers would not see their leave extended in a single day and would continue to be, together with the Maltese, European mothers with less time available for paid leave"
Mothers, midwives and other professionals
On the other hand, a few days ago we attended the social media movement, #LowerDeMaternityDignaYA, whereby many mothers, midwives, lactation consultants and other professionals were in favor of extending, as a priority, maternity leave.
In Babies and more # BajaDeMaternidadDignaYA, the movement that demands a broader permit for mothers, to which we join Allege that men and women are not physiologically equal, and who gives birth, breastfeeds, and goes through the postpartum is the mother , so it is essential to take measures aimed at granting a dignified permit to women, as well as the possibility of freely organizing with your partner.But in addition, they also focus on the baby, whom they consider to be the great forgotten in this debate, since biologically he needs his mother:
"The extrogestation lasts nine months, not 16 weeks. And at that time who needs the baby is his mother. It is outrageous that a country does not take measures to guarantee the well-being of babies; measures that must urgently expand maternity leave and find solutions for the mother to feel well cared for and protected by society to focus on caring for her baby "- says lactation and parenting consultant, Isabel Fernández.
For its part, from the Petra Platform of feminist mothers are committed to freedom of families to organize, and for the extension of maternity leave; a right that mothers have been claiming for many years:
"We consider the current situation of Spanish mothers unfair, to the tail of Europe in available time of paid license. This situation would become a real grievance for women if equal and non-transferable permits were implemented, since then Spanish men would have the longest nontransferable and paid parental leave in Europe. We aspire to parental leave more in tune with those existing in European countries with advanced social policies, characterized by transferability and which prioritize the freedom of families to organize "
In favor of equating both permits
On the other side of the balance are those who bet on the equalization of both permits as a form of promote co-responsibility in childcare (encouraging parents to be involved in the care of babies to the same extent as mothers do), and to prevent women from suffering discrimination within the labor market by becoming mothers.
In addition, they believe that by extending the paternity leave from the current five weeks to the proposed 16 weeks, the mother would also benefit, as she could count on help for a longer period of time to physically recover from pregnancy and childbirth.
Political parties
Citizens was the first political party that positioned itself in favor of matching maternity and paternity leave. Though in their proposal they gave the option to the parents to transfer their permits, after a mandatory period of ten weeks for each.
In Babies and more Citizens wants to raise the paternity and maternity leave by law up to 34 weeksShortly afterwards, the proposals of Unidos Podemos (which we mentioned at the beginning) and the support of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who also bet on the universalization of education from zero to three years as a conciliation measure.
The Bad Mothers Club
Among the solutions to help the conciliation and joint responsibility proposed by the Club of the Bad Mothers, is the equalization and non-transferability of both permits; a measure that the Club sent to the president of the Government last October, in the #YonoRenuncio race.
Platform for equal and non-transferable birth and adoption permits
In order to claim this right and propose legislative reforms, the "Platform for equal and non-transferable birth and adoption permits" (PPiiNA) was born, where fathers, mothers and professionals are committed to equalization of permits and that these are not transferable, so that men can be equally involved in family tasks and women do not suffer discrimination at work.
Parent Associations
The Spanish Association of Divorced Parents (Asepadi) and the SOS Papá Association, also stand in favor of matching permits, since they consider that it is discriminatory for fathers to have less time than mothers To raise your children.
Thus, with respect to the admission to the Constitutional Court for processing of an appeal raised by PPiiNA that considered discriminatory that the paternity leave be inferior to that of maternity, Asepadi stated the following:
"It is a decision of enormous importance. First because the Constitutional Court admits only one percent of the amparo resources it receives. And second, because it is a fundamental step to end a historical discrimination, which makes no sense in the current gender equality environment that society claims. "
"It is detrimental to the father, to whom there are subtracted possibilities for the upbringing and establishment of the bond with his son in the first months of life. In an environment in which shared custody progresses unstoppable, it is an urgent and necessary change" .
In Babies and more It is not discriminatory that paternity leave lasts less than maternity leave: the Constitutional ruling so dictatesIt is important to look for measures that facilitate family reconciliation and co-responsibility between men and women, and there is no doubt that maternity leave and paternity leave are an important point that should be considered. But judging by the opinions that little by little we are getting to know, both from organizations, as from professionals, associations and individuals, we have a lot of debate ahead!
