Whenever we talk about paternity and maternity benefits in Spain, the European example comes to mind and the differences that the maternity and paternity benefits in Europe. How are the Spanish maternity and paternity benefits compared to the rest of the EU countries? As we will see in the comparison in maternity and paternity benefits in Europe, Spain is very far in economic and social benefits for maternity leave.
Before comparing the different parameters that make up health care, we have to keep in mind that not all European countries have the same degree of welfare protection through Social Security. For example, in Spain, the Social Security contribution is mandatory for all workers but in Germany for example, the contribution to the Health System is voluntary if there is a health insurance system and a private pension plan.
The length of maternity leave, after 14 weeks
The minimum duration of maternity leave is set at a minimum of 14 weeks for all eurozone countries, which has been the map of countries selected for comparison with Sweden, a country in Europe that has the highest maternity and paternity benefits. Germany, Slovakia and Malta are the countries that set the minimum maternity leave period of 14 weeks, although this period is extended to 20 weeks if multiple birth has occurred. Most eurozone countries, require a period of maternity leave before childbirth, which ranges from 2 to 6 weeks. In the Spanish case, there is no limitation of maternity leave prior to delivery.
At the head of the countries with the longest duration of maternity leave we find Finland, which allows a maximum of 37 weeks per year and the case of Sweden, which has a maternity leave of 68 weeks, but to enjoy a maximum of 18.5 weeks in each year. Sweden allows maternity leave periods to be enjoyed until the children turn 8 and these periods are set at the parents' will.
Estonia, Italy, Ireland and Portugal are countries that also have maternity leave of more than 20 weeks.
The economic benefit for maternity leave, subject to previous income: how and what depends on each country?
All European laws on maternity leave have an economic subsidy for the mother of greater or lesser amount, destined to alleviate the loss of income that the working mother has during maternity leave. In all cases, it is essential to cover minimum social security contribution requirements in each country.
exist three countries that do not set contribution minimums which are Estonia, Finland and Italy, that it is enough to be on high work at the time of requesting maternity leave to be entitled to it. But in these cases, the economic coverage is linked to the incomes that are no longer received and extend medical and assistance rights to all pregnant women.
For the rest of the countries, the minimum contribution period prior to maternity leave is six months During the last quoted year although there are cases such as France, this period is increased to 10 months prior to maternity leave or Greece that requires 200 days quoted in the last two years.
The minimum contribution requirement is directly linked to the economic benefit to be received and not to the medical and assistance rights granted to pregnant women and their children. Logically, the European countries decouple the health benefit from the economic benefit for work reasons, since in all cases, medical assistance is guaranteed for the mother and the baby for reasons of residence without taking into account the employment situation.
The amounts of economic benefits for maternity leave in Europe
He economic amount that women receive for maternity leave is very variable for each country and the criteria in the table above are followed. As we can see, the lowest amounts in economic benefits can be found in Germany and Austria, mainly due to the non-mandatory mandatory public contributions, compared to the countries with the highest benefits that are the Nordic countries such as Finland or Sweden.
In most countries, it is taken as calculation basis for the economic benefit for maternity leave the previous salary, the contribution base established by the Social Security system or average wage values. In all cases, the amounts reflected refer to the general scheme or employed by others, since special regimes such as the autonomous ones, have restrictions for maternity leave in most countries.
Parental leave, the pending subject in some countries
Six countries have not yet contemplated the right to parental leave within their laws. These countries are Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece and Malta. On the side with higher parental leave benefits we find Sweden, which allows the compatibility of maternity leave between both parents, Finland that has a parental leave of 105 days or 90 days of leave for parents in Slovenia.
The rest of the countries give between 10 and 28 days of parental leave, in most of them, voluntary and taken at the decision of the father.
The health care benefit, identical for all countries
The main common feature of maternity leave in European countries is the welfare benefit that is made available to the future mother and child. In all countries, whether they have public Social Security or not, the State displays all the necessary health coverage for the prior control of the pregnant mother, the health and medical coverage of the birth, the initial necessary care of the baby until she leaves the hospital and the Primary care network of the first years of life.
Most European countries have supplements of Private Medical Insurance that can exclude pregnant mothers from the enjoyment of the maternal policy if they do not meet a minimum period of validity in the policy. These cases are always covered by public health systems. In countries such as Germany or Austria, public medical coverage is guaranteed to all pregnant residents, regardless of their own employment status.
Convergence with Nordic Europe in maternal leave, the desired objective
Within the European legislation on maternity leave, we find two important handicaps to overcome in the coming years. The first one, the positive discrimination against women against men and the poor implementation of the Nordic system in maternal leave. The Nordic system is the one that allows the maternity leave to be made compatible and distributed between the couple without distinction of fact. In Spain, parental leave is voluntary for men and only the shared enjoyment of 6 weeks of the total 16 weeks that maternity leave lasts in our country is allowed.
The second, the homogenization in the periods of maternal leave and the economic coverage that are satisfied. Although the economic benefits seek to replace the loss of income due to maternity leave, the cost of bringing a child is important and very few countries "subsidize" maternity and favor it.
In Spain we go back in direct maternity aid. Since 2011, we do not have the help of 2,500 euros for the birth of children; Bonuses have been eliminated for companies that hire women who have just had a child and it is being analyzed to eliminate the help of 100 euros per month for working mothers during the first three years of the child's life,
In addition to the insufficiency of financial aid, in Spain we continue to have a very important lack of protection of women in the labor and social field. danger of discrimination by exclusion within their working age for the additional costs that are created for the companies, when a pregnant woman is hired or she is during the maternity leave. It is quite clear, that in Spain we are light years from the most advanced countries in Europe in maternal leave and that our goal to improve work-life balance and motherhood should be the convergence with the Nordic countries, as protective systems for better maternity leave.
Source | European Commission - Social Security and Employment
In Babies and More | Maternity and paternity leave in Europe, The best place to be a mother is Norway, Spain is the twelfth best country to be a mother
Photo | ODHD
Rowing, closely related to the financial and fiscal management of companies. He writes regularly in the SME and Autonomous blogs and The Salmon Blog.
You can follow him on Twitter at @Remo_
