The Austrian government wants fathers to be more involved in the care of their children. Therefore, in the future, two months of the waiting period must be used by the father to be entitled to the full two years. In addition, the family time bonus is doubled to 1480 euros.
“The other parent is of course not obliged to take parental leave. However, if parents want to use the entire previous period of parental leave until the child’s second year, at least two months are set aside for the other part,” Labor Minister Martin Kocher (ÖVP) said at a press conference on Friday. Single parents remain unaffected by the new law. The minister made it clear that there would be no cuts in the childcare allowance.
The ÖVP and the Greens jointly submitted the initiative request to implement the European directive on the compatibility of work and private life for parents and caring relatives.
Men struggle with prejudice
The law should be designed in such a way that it takes fathers longer than these two months. For this reason, the family time allowance will be increased from EUR 740 to more than EUR 1,480 per month during the ‘daddy month’. “We are working against the current situation where women still do most of the care work (care work, take note),” said Green Club president Sigrid Maurer. Prejudice makes it difficult for men to take on more childcare, which is why protection against discrimination is now being extended in the Equal Treatment Act.
The government has also decided to redesign the hardship regime for families and the law for caring relatives. For example, a family relationship is no longer necessary to be able to use the leave for care. The new rules are expected to take effect in November.
Criticism of opposition: ‘Too little and too late’
While NEOS spoke of a first step, there was much criticism of the announcements made by the other opposition parties and the trade union. SPÖ women’s spokeswoman Eva-Maria Holzleitner responded with “too little and too late”, calling instead for a legal right to childcare from the first year of life. According to the ÖGB, the care for children under the age of three should generally be expanded. NEOS family spokesman Michael Bernhard proposed an individual entitlement to parental leave and childcare allowance. The models should adapt to the daily lives of families, not the other way around.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
