The German government’s plan to offer two weeks of paid leave to all partners following the birth of a child has been delayed until 2024 due to the difficult economic situation, Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus has announced. 

Two-week partner leave coming to Germany in 2024

“The two-week leave of absence after the birth is coming, not this year, but in 2024,” Paus told the newspapers of the Funke Media Group. She explained that the government had made the decision to delay implementation due to the current economic circumstances, which could make a sudden law change difficult, especially for small and medium-sized companies. 

“That’s why I want to get this important project off the ground next year,” Paus explained. She said that the planned regulation will be anchored in law in the Maternity Protection Act from the beginning of 2024.

Government supports parents to share childcare responsibilities

The federal government wants to further support the equal distribution of care by giving partners - most commonly fathers - the right to two weeks of leave on full salary (paternity leave) after their child is born. The entitlement is designed to be similar to the maternity benefit that all new mothers receive. Both parents will also still be eligible for the parental allowance as well. 

Even if they do take parental leave, partners are often forced to save up holiday days in order to spend time with their new baby immediately after the birth. Paus said that it was especially important in the first weeks after the birth for “parents to have time for each other and the baby… so that fathers [or partners] can develop a close relationship with the child early on.” 

Paus described the planned benefit as “another important building block for the compatibility of family and work." The law change is part of an EU-wide directive to equalise maternity and paternity entitlements.