What is the share of mothers and fathers on parental leave?
Parental leave refers to the period of unpaid leave from work after the birth of a child. Parents have a right to parental leave until their child has reached the age of three years. Up to 12 months of the parental leave can be transferred to the time between the child's 3rd and 8th birthday. Parental leave can be divided between the parents or be taken by one parent.
The indicator shows the share of mothers and fathers on parental leave as a percentage of all parents who have a job. Parents with a job include people who are not at work for more than three months. Included are all mothers and fathers aged 20 to 49 years whose youngest child is under 6 years old.
Women take parental leave markedly more often than men
In 2022, a good one quarter of all mothers whose youngest child is under 6 years old were on parental leave. This applied to just 1.9% of fathers.
The parental leave ratio decreases with the mother's age. In the age group of the 20 to 29 year olds, the proportion of mothers on parental leave was 38.4%, while among the 30 to 39 year olds it was down to 26.4%. Among the 40 to 49 year old mothers, the share was not more than 11.0%. For fathers, no significant age differences are observed.
Parental leave ratio markedly higher among parents with children aged under 3 years
The parental leave ratio of mothers whose youngest child is under three years old was 45.2% in 2022. This is about 20 percentage points more than for mothers with children aged under 6 years (25.1%). It can be assumed that mothers often take parental leave until their child has reached the age of three years.
Among fathers whose youngest child is under three years old, the proportion of those who are on parental leave doubled. However, when considering this figure, the low parental leave ratio of fathers should be taken into account.
| Parents with children | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source: Microcensus | |||
| Youngest child under 3 years | 21.0 | 3.0 | 45.2 |
| Youngest child under 6 years | 12.4 | 1.9 | 25.1 |
Parental leave ratio rose by 1.6 percentage points from 2012 to 2022
The proportion of parents whose youngest child is under 6 years old and who are on parental leave rose by 1.6 percentage points from 10.8% to 12.4% over the last ten years.
The share of mothers on parental leave is much higher. From 2012 to 2022 it increased by 3.3 percentage points to 25.1%.
For fathers, the increase in the parental leave ratio is more pronounced, though at a much lower level. At 1.9%, the share of fathers on parental leave in 2022 was almost twice as high as in 2012 (1.1%).
Information on the Indicator
Description or definition
Proportion of employed persons whose youngest child in the family is under 3, respectively 6 years old and who are on parental leave in all persons whose youngest child in the family is under 3, respectively 6 years old.
Source
Microcensus
Information for interpretation
The microcensus with the integrated European labour force survey has been redesigned in 2020. The list of questions and the concept of the sample survey were modified, and with the introduction of an online questionnaire, the form of data collection were also changed. The results from survey year 2020 onward are therefore comparable with those of previous years only to a limited extent.
Further methodological changes affecting the results were performed in 2005, 2011 and 2021. Consequently, the results for those years can be compared with the results for previous years to a limited extent only.
The extrapolation of microcensus data uses the population figures from the 2011 Census, which was conducted as at 9 May 2011. The results have been revised from 2010 onwards. With effect from the year 2016, the sample is based on the 2011 census data. This transition affects the comparability of the results with previous years.
For more information please refer to Methods: Quality Reports and Explanations (only in German).
Further information
Redesigned microcensus as of 2020