While the paternity leave law that's in the works is delayed, fathers in Germany are reliant on their employers’ goodwill for paid time off after their child is born, and a new YouGov survey has revealed that 49 percent of companies are not in favour of offering the leave.

Only half of German companies willing to pay paternity leave

A recent poll conducted by YouGov on behalf of the dpa has found that just 51 percent of companies in Germany are willing to pay their employees two, full weeks of paternity leave (Vaterschaftsurlaub) immediately after their child is born.

Meanwhile, 33 percent of companies said they would reject employee requests to take paid paternity leave and 16 percent responded that they “didn’t know” what the company's stance would be.

A law to introduce a two-week paternity leave called “family start time” was initially announced by Federal Minister for Families Lisa Paus (Greens) as part of the government's 2021 coalition agreement, but delayed multiple times until a 2024 deadline was set, but the law is yet to be finalised.

Currently, the parent who gives birth in Germany is entitled to six weeks of paid maternity leave before they give birth and six weeks afterwards, while fathers or partners are not entitled to a single day unless their employer voluntarily grants it. This time off is separate from Elternzeit (parental leave), a legal entitlement to time off work for both parents which can be taken after the maternity leave ends.

Paid paternity leave law still blocked by FDP

While the traffic light government’s 2021 coalition agreement promised to “introduce a two-week paid leave of absence for partners after the birth of a child,” the law is yet to come to fruition three years later.

In the meantime, frustrated fathers and partners have pressured the government to fulfil their promise, with one father in Berlin deciding to sue the German state in April 2024.

Under the current "family start time" law proposal, which is supported by the SPD and Greens, a company with 100 employees could expect to pay 208 euros more per month to cover possible costs of paternity leave, according to SPD parliamentary group leader Sönke Rix.

The FDP, the third party in Germany’s current coalition and the party leading the Finance Ministry, is unhappy that employers should foot the bill for paid paternity leave and has blocked the current draft law.

Rix recently called on the FDP once more to unblock the plan. While financing remains uncertain it is expected that paternity leave will be included in the upcoming Maternity Protection Act (Mutterschutzgesetz) 2024.

This means it is still possible that a paternity leave law will be implemented before the end of 2024.

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