In its 43rd General Report on Social Security for the year 2017, the General Inspectorate of Social Security (IGSS) included a focus on parental leave.
As a social protection scheme since 1999, parental leave was reformed on 1 December 2016. This reform is characterised by greater flexibility and a more generous allowance in the form of replacement income. The figures for 2017 illustrate the success and the ransom of the success of this reform. In December 2017, 8,251 people benefited from parental leave against 4,720 in December 2016.
It is notably the fathers who show an interest in the new parental leave: they represent 45% of the beneficiaries in 2017, against only 25% in 2016. The success of parental leave is measured by a doubling of the expenses of benefits which went from €84 million in 2016 to €166 million in 2017.
