Only 5% of fathers in Poland in 2018 * took some part of the parental leave that BOTH PARENTS are entitled to. Why is this happening? Is the father a “worse” parent and will not be able to cope with the care of a small child? Or maybe the lack of knowledge about his rights is behind such decisions? Father’s Day is a perfect excuse to consider why in Poland there is no equal division in childcare between mother and father. We will also try to look at the consequences for personal life, employers and the economy, and why it is worth changing.
What do the paternity leave regulations say
Many parents mistakenly believe that parental rights are privileges enjoyed only or mainly by women. Meanwhile, according to the law, they can also be used by men. In Poland, fathers can take advantage of many rights related to parentage. Currently, the Labor Code gives fathers the opportunity to take advantage of: maternity leave (part of it), paternity leave, parental leave and parental leave. In addition, the father is also protected by law with regard to unemployment issues.
The infographic above clearly shows that a man has almost the same labor code rights as a woman. If you are interested in more detailed information on paternity employment rights, please refer to the source HERE and HERE.
As many as 21% of men declare that they did not take paternity leave because they did not know that they were entitled to such leave! ** So let’s get to know your rights so that you can exercise them.
However, the law is not enough. What about the rest of the fathers who know they can take parental leave and don’t?
Punishment for motherhood
When asked “why the child’s father did not take parental leave,” many parents reply that it was economic reasons. It’s a fact that men earn statistically more than women. According to Eurostat, the wage gap in Poland is 8.8% (data for 2018). But it is actually much bigger. The study does not take into account micro-enterprises, where about 40 percent are employed. employees. Additionally, workers employed in agriculture, forestry, hunting, fishing as well as in public administration and national defense were excluded from the study.
Corrected wage gap , which takes into account not only the smallest companies, but also education, experience or type of work, is even 20-30% !
In our opinion, such a situation is e.g. the effect of women “disappearing” from the labor market much more often than men precisely because of the need to look after children. Mothers are seen as a “risky” worker. When a child is born, the woman “disappears” for a long time. After returning to work, the woman is still the parent who, in the event of a child’s illness, decides to take care of him, of course exercising the parents’ rights. In this way, in the eyes of the employer, he appears as someone who may be absent at any moment. This is one of the main reasons why women with children earn less. (You can read more about it HERE ).
On the other hand, having children by a man does not in any way affect the level of his earnings. This includes therefore men do not decide to take parental leave. Losing 20% of his earnings puts a heavy burden on the household budget.
The effect is that a woman stays outside the labor market much longer, so she is not affected by promotions or raises, does not develop, does not gain experience, so she earns less. This well-known phenomenon has been called the maternity penalty .
To break this vicious circle, it is important to show families that the return of mothers to the labor market can also bring economic benefits for the whole family! If women and men share the care of a small child equally, in the eyes of the employer, the woman will no longer appear to be a “more risky” employee. The enjoyment of parental leave and other legal privileges for parents will be shared equally between women and men. So gender doesn’t matter anymore.
Mothers are the mainstay of traditionalism
It is customary in Poland to say that fathers are not willing to participate in family life as partners. In many families, the traditional division of roles still exists, it is believed that men find fulfillment more at work than at home. However, the data says otherwise. According to the CBOS research “Family – its meaning and understanding” from 2019, family happiness as the basic value of everyday life is more often indicated by as many as 74% of men. The younger and more educated the group, the more this percentage grows. The data also shows that for young people in the Y and Z generations, work loses value and the family gains. Fathers want a balance between personal and professional life and do not want to sacrifice their families for work. So why do even young fathers take so seldom their parental leave?
20% of fathers declare that they did not use parental leave because their partners did not allow them **
This shows that traditional thinking about parenting is as strong in women as it is in men . These patterns are passed down from generation to generation and it is very difficult to change them. Therefore, communication between parents is the most important. Talking partners openly and realizing what patterns they have learned from their families and whether they want to reproduce them in their own family can prevent many later conflicts within the couple. Many couples, on the other hand, do not even talk about the division of roles, they take it for granted and natural that it is the woman who will take care of the baby after birth. It has been like this for generations, and this arrangement is rarely questioned or questioned as to its legitimacy.
However, the latest psychological research says it straightforwardly – it is important for a child to have both parents, from the very beginning of life . It is a mistake to believe that mothers know better what is important to their children, that they are better able to read the signals their babies are sending. Both parents can do it equally well on one condition – they both have to spend a lot of time with their baby. Such an opportunity is offered by sharing parental leave.
A frequently cited argument against a faster return we have to work is breastfeeding. However, for women (and men) who wish to continue feeding their baby breast milk even after mum returns to work, there are also solutions. The father can feed the baby with expressed milk and serve it with a bottle or a spoon. Nowadays we have more and more solutions that facilitate a partnership approach almost all aspects of childcare.
50/50 it pays off for everyone
As it turns out, the problem of the lack of a partnership approach to caring for a small child does not lie in external and formal possibilities, but in culture, mentality and beliefs. This is our greatest role as parents – to show employers and parents that the 50/50 division of parental leave pays off for everyone. So what are the greatest benefits of this division?
1. Data from the Central Statistical Office show that the economic activity rates of women in Poland are very low. Family responsibilities, including childcare, are the main cause of inactivity among women aged 25-54. Increasing the availability of nurseries and kindergartens and other forms of childcare, enabling part-time work, improving architectural accessibility and transport, would facilitate entry to the labor market for economically inactive women.
2. An employer who supports parents in combining their professional role with family life helps them to stabilize the area of life that improves their mental condition. Thus, it increases their commitment and effectiveness. Additionally, it reduces unexpected absences from work, as well as costs related to ensuring work continuity. An employee whose needs are taken into account becomes a loyal employee .
3. Diversity of teams is necessary because it influences the creation of better quality products and services . This approach helps in creating a strategy, introducing innovative solutions or managing a company. Therefore, employers should care about the fact that both men and women stand in the ranks of the company.
4. Psychological research has long shown that the presence of the father in a child’s life is as important as the presence of the mother. It is impossible to play the role of a father suddenly, after many years of absence. A strong, lasting and secure relationship can only be built through presence and commitment from the first days of life . A child who has a strong relationship with both parents will in the future be able to build a satisfying relationship with his partner or partner and their joint children.
5. The patterns we pass on to children have a huge impact on their future . If we teach them from an early age that partnership is an important aspect of interpersonal relations, it will be much easier for them to build partnerships both in private and professional life. They will not be restricted by gender, nor will they attach importance to gender stereotypes.
The decision to share the parental leave between both parents is not easy. Women are afraid of weakening ties with the child, while men are afraid of losing their job (taking parental leave by the father, although legal, is not well perceived in many companies). Added to this is the economic aspect, i.e. higher earnings for men, as well as the social and stereotypical perception of roles. Such a decision requires determination and conviction that it is right. However, the benefits of dividing parental leave between both parents are indisputable. Polish law enables effective sharing of employee parental rights in a way that allows them to be used not only by the mother, but also by the father raising the child – often on the same terms. So let us use this right for the benefit of each of us – mothers, fathers, employers, the economy, and therefore for the entire society.
* Pracuj.pl “Parents at work. Full-time life ”(research carried out by ARC Rynek i Opinia)
** The data comes from the Share the care Foundation report “50/50 it pays off for everyone”
Author: Karolina Bury, educated sociologist with a passion for the Polish language. Professionally I deal with marketing communication. I am interested in NVC (non-violent communication) and alternative forms of education. Privately, I am a mother of Nina and Leon. In my spare time I am addicted to reading books, I love dogs unconditionally.