The Equal sharing in parenting and caring responsibilities plays significant role because it presents substantial personal and emotional benefits for mothers, fathers and offspring. The diverse kinds of family-related leave are a prominent matter in the widespread attempts across Europe to create a better work-life balance. Especially, parental leave has granted increasing attention over recent years from both legislators (often prompted by EU Directives) and the social partners (Math, Meilland 2004). 

Parental leave is a considerable part of ‘work-life balance’ or distribution of work and care within family. Leave schemes can be a manner for parents – particularly mothers – to escape from the time dedicating themselves to their children’s care being an obstacle to their careers. At first, it was developed as an aid for parents to make it easier for them to continue working, or to get back into employment after a break, but parental leave can also be a means of encouraging gender equality (Math, Meilland 2004).

Greek legislation for Parental Leave

According to the Article 28 of the Law 4808/2021, which revoked and replaced the Article 50 of the Law 4075/2012, the working parent is entitled to parental leave, until the age of eight, with the aim to fulfil the minimum requirements for its upbringing. The parental leave is granted for each parent for four months, with remuneration the two months covered by Hellenic Manpower Employment Association (OAED), and the employee must have completed 1 year of continuous or successive work with the same employer, unless specified favorable from special legal provision, collective labor agreements, or agreements between employers and employees (Kepea, 2021).

The working mothers have the right to receive maternity leave for 17 weeks. The 8 weeks are compulsory granted before the possible date of birth and the rest of 9 weeks after the labor, in order to complete 17 weeks (G.G.C.L. 2000 – 2001, art. 7) (Kepea, 2021).

For a female worker to be eligible for maternity benefits, she must have direct insurance that allows her to take 56 days off before childbirth and 63 days after the baby has been delivered. If a female worker does not take the entire period of days off before the birth, she can choose to carry it forward after she has had her baby. This applies to women who are insured and have worked 200 days in the last two years before the delivery date (Art. 9 par. 2 of Law. 2224/1994 and Art. 11 of Law 2874/2000) (GPS team, 2021). 

For many families, the household separation of caring responsibilities starts to be integrated at birth. This provokes a consistent pattern of unequal care and work during most important working years for both parents, with women having to deal with the biggest part of child’s caring, resulting in their participation in the workforce still sitting well below that of men (KPMG, 2021). To help decrease exhaustion among working mothers, what if more new fathers were willing to take on duties in their household? What if they began making that commitment by taking paternity leave?

According to the EU data, Greek fathers infrequently take paternity leave (Eurodev, 2021). If new fathers do not take paternity leave, this does not only affect the well-being of new parents and their children, but also has broader ramifications in the workplace. On the other hand, when men take parental leave, women have more possibilities to return to work and to earn more when they do return (Sammer, 2022).

Particularly, a lot of legislative changes are being caused with the new directive, where all EU member states must offer a minimum of 10 days of paid paternity leave, (Eurodev, 2021).

In relation with paternity leave in Greece, the Article 27 of the Law 4808/2021 states that every working father is entitled to take 14 days of paid paternity leave, which has to be received at child’s birth. Paternity leave must be awarded from the employer and it does not depend on previous experience or the marital status of the employee (Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, 2021). The leave can be granted as a whole or in parts according to the request of the employee. The employee can take 2 days of leave before the birth and the rest of 12 days after the birth. Or else, the total number of 14 days can be granted after the date of birth. In case of hospitalization of the newborn after labor, during the first month after its birth and after the agreement between the parties (Article 46, par. 3), to receive a part or the whole leave immediately after the completion of the child’s hospitalization (Law 4808/2021 Article 27, Eng. 47972/2021) (Sepe, 2021).

The employee has to notify to the employer the potential date of birth, in order for the firm to respond correctly. This formal notice can be held orally, on paper, electronically, or in any other manner that serves the parties. (Sepe, 2021).

 The working fathers that adopt or foster a child up to 8 years old, can also receive paternity leave (Kepea, 2021).

The advantages of Paternity leave

The benefits of paternity leave start in the household. According to a study of McKinsey and Company (2021), 90% of the men interviewed, noticed that their relationship with their partner got enhanced. Furthermore, there are financial advantages that are worth to notice. Particularly, the income in household tends to increase, because of both parents working. Paternity leave decreases the gender wage gap within households by increasing mothers’ income temporarily and helping to increase total household financial well-being in the future (KPMG, 2021).

Moreover, studies demonstrate that when a father takes an increasing part in child’s care, can lessen maternal postpartum-depression. A study of how paternity leave affects maternal postpartum depression showed that a lack of father’s participation is an important indication of the intensity of depressive symptoms (Colantuoni, Rajbhandari, 2021).

To conclude, equal opportunities and work-life balance in workplaces are values that should be found in companies, that show regard for their people and society as well. If such actions start to be established in companies, it may help in the rise of employee retention and well-being in them.

Βιβλιογραφία

• Εφηµερίδα της Κυβέρνησης, 2021. Η νέα εργατική νοµοθεσία Ν.4808/2021. Α’101, σελ. 7962-8043.
• Petts, R. J., Carlson, D. L. & Knoester, C., 2020. Paternity Leave and Relationship Stability. Journal of Social Policy- Cambridge, Τόµος 49, Τεύχος 4, σελ. 829-849.
• Besant, A., 2018. Dads want parental leave, few take it. Linkedin.
• Θεοχαροπούλου, Κ., 2021. Paternity Leave in Greece: The contextual factors that shape employment law and relations. Key legislative frameworks and organizational responses. Linkedin.
• Taxheaven., 2021. Αλλαγές σε εργασιακές διατάξεις µε το Ν.4808/2021 για την επιχείρηση και τον εργαζόµενο υπό το πρίσµα του λογιστή
• Καρούζος, Γ., 2021. Η Νέα άδεια Πατρότητας.
• Lidl Hellas, 2022. Άδεια Πατρότητας και Παροχές.

*O κ.Ζαφραντζής Αλεξανδρος είναι φοιτητής του µεταπτυχιακού προγράµµατος MA Human Resource Management του University of Northampton το οποίο παρέχει στην Ελλάδα το κολλέγιο της EpsilonNet. Το παρόν άρθρο είναι εργασία για το µάθηµα Employment Law, που διεξήχθη το 3ο τετράµηνο του ακαδηµαϊκού έτους 2021-22.