three questions on this revised parental leave for both parents, wanted by Emmanuel Macron

The President of the Republic gave a long interview to the magazine “Elle” where he detailed his plan for a shortened but better compensated leave.

Leave shared equally between both parents. If the measure had already been announced in January, during a major press conference at the Elysée, Emmanuel Macron returned, Tuesday May 8, to the birth leave which he wishes to bring into force in August 2025. from the women’s magazine She, the President of the Republic notably detailed its distribution after the arrival of a child. Franceinfo returns to this measure which aims to replace the current parental leave.

How long will it last and how will it be distributed?

Emmanuel Macron first clarified the sharing of birth leave between the two parents. Concretely, there will be “three months for mothers, three months for fathers, cumulative during the child’s first year”. Like today, nothing will force a parent to take it.

Birth leave aims to replace parental leave. At theCurrently, the latter can be requested from the end of maternity or paternity leave, until the child’s third birthday. It lasts one year but can be renewed twice, specifies the administration website. In January, Emmanuel Macron deplored that this duration “keeps many women out of the job market”.

Current parental leave is also only used by 0.8% of fathers, compared to 14% of mothers, reported a study by the French Observatory of Economic Conditions. (PDF file) in 2021.

For what compensation?

Each parent will be compensated “up to 50% of his salary” up to a ceiling of 1,900 euros, said Emmanuel Macron. The employer can also, if he wishes, supplement this amount. This should allow parents to receive remuneration much higher than that of the current parental leave, the scale of which is set at 429 euros. The head of state had estimated in January that the current system “creates a lot of anxiety because he is extremely little and poorly paid”and thus places certain families in “impossible situations”.

This compensation remains below that recommended by two deputies in November. In a report information on the care of young children, Isabelle Santiago (Socialist Party) and Michèle Peyron (Renaissance) recommended a “one year parental leave”shareable between parents, paid at “67% of salary”.

What are the consequences for maternity and paternity leave?

If birth leave aims to replace current parental leave, it does not bury the other measures linked to the arrival of a child. On the contrary, he “is added to paternity and maternity leave”, explained Emmanuel Macron. Clearly, for example, a woman expecting her first child will be entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave (six weeks for prenatal leave and 10 for postnatal leave), then three months of birth leave.