Spain Gives Green Light To Draft Family Law With Extra Leave For Parents
Spain News
Published: 14 December 2022 16:36 CET
Spain’s Council of Ministers gave the green light on Tuesday to a new draft family law designed to help working parents to raise their children.
The Minister of Social Rights, Ione Belarra said that it was “extremely difficult” for working parents in Spain to balance work and parenting which often depended on school, extracurricular activities as well as help from grandparents.
She stressed that the new family law would address “the problems of daily life of millions of people in our country”.
Belarra also said that there was a need for reinforcement in the support of parenting, as surveys suggest that many young women would like to have children but feel that they could not afford to.
Among the measures will be a monthly payment of 100 euros per month for each child under the age of 3 for unemployed parents, those who are working part-time, and those in temporary employment.
"According to our calculations, this measure will benefit between 200,000 and 250,000 new mothers," said Belarra.
Furthermore, the protection currently enjoyed by larger families would also be extended to single-parents and single-parent families with two or more children.
Some of the biggest changes will be made in terms of additional parental leave.
Extra paid and unpaid leave entitlement for working parents
Under the new law, there will be three different leave entitlements. These include:-
- Up to five days per year of paid leave to care for a relative up to second degree or a cohabitant with or without a relationship of kinship.
- Up to four days of paid leave to take care of family members.
- Parental leave of up to 8 weeks unpaid per year to look after their children up to the age of 8 years. Leave may be taken continuously or intermittently.
Belarra said that the 8-week unpaid leave entitlement would help parents to care for their children during the summer holidays. This measure would be phased in with six weeks of entitlement from 2023 and eight weeks in 2024.
The Ministers said that the new legislation would make it easier for Spaniards to have children if they desired to do so.
Legal recognition of common-law relationships
In addition to the above, the law also aims to equalise the rights between those who are married and de facto partnerships.
Under the legislation, common-law couples will be given the same rights as married couples and be able to enjoy 15 days of paid leave each year when their relationship is registered.
There will also be a new framework of recognition and protection of LGTBI families, for those with a member with disabilities, and for multiple, adoptive or foster families.
Source
https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/consejodeministros/resumenes/Paginas/2022/131222-rp-cministros.aspx
Image Credit: La Moncloa
