Map: Parenthood policies in Europe
(BBC online, 2007-01-19)
SWEDEN
AND NORWAY
Nordic governments employ a range of policies designed
to help couples have more children. These governments have a
long history of social policies aimed at helping people balance
their work and family life. This is part of what
is known as the "Nordic model".
In Sweden, each parent
is entitled to 18 months leave, which is paid for
by the government. Public day care is heavily subsidised and
flexible work schedules are common - women with children of
pre-school age are entitled to reduce their working hours. Women's
participation in the work force is high. In Norway, mothers
are entitled to 12 months off work with 80% pay
or 10 months with full pay. Fathers are entitled to
take almost all of that leave instead of the mother.
Fathers must take at least four weeks leave or else
those weeks will be lost for both parents. The leave
is financed through taxes, so employers don't lose out.
Birth
rates per woman: Norway: 1.81, Sweden: 1.75
IRELAND
Ireland has
the highest fertility rate in the EU, despite the fact
that child care is seen as underdeveloped and expensive.
Mothers
get 26 weeks maternity leave plus 14 weeks parental leave
Birth rate: 1.99
UK
New mothers currently get six months'
paid leave and the option of six months further unpaid
leave. The first six weeks are at 90% of pay
and the next 20 at £102.80 per week. New fathers
are allowed two weeks' paid leave at a maximum £102.80
a week.
The government offers free early education places. Children
from the age of four get free part-time places at
nurseries - some three year olds also get places.
Parents
of children under the age of six have the right
to ask their employers for more flexible working hours. Although
employers don't have to agree with the request, they have
to show they have considered it carefully.
Birth rate: 1.74
GERMANY
Germany has long had one of the lowest birth
rates in the European Union and one of the highest
proportions of childless women. According to EU statistics from 2005,
30% of German women have not had children.
Demographers say
Germany's problem has probably been made worse because it has
been ignored for so long
The government offers 14 weeks
maternity leave plus parental leave of up to 36 months,
with the level of pay depending on a number of
factors.
One of the biggest problems is a real lack
of child care places. According to government figures, only one
in five children under three get a place in day
care. Not only do they close at lunch time, but
the fees are incredibly high. Another problem for working parents
is that traditionally, the school day ends at 1pm.
The
government has now lifted the birth rate to the top
of the political agenda. In January, it adopted a bill
to give tax breaks to families. It has also floated
the idea of eliminating fees for kindergarten.
Birth rate: 1.37
POLAND
The Polish parliament has passed legislation to pay women
for each new child they have, in an effort to
boost the country's falling population.
Under the scheme every woman
will receive a one-off payment of 1,000 zlotys (258 euros;
£177) - for each child she has. Women from poorer
families will receive double that amount.
The population has actually
decreased by close to half a million in the last
six years. But some women's groups say payments are a
quick fix and will not address the long-term trend.
Birth
rate: 1.78
FRANCE
France has employed various policies to try
to reconcile family life with women working. It has some
of the most extensive state-funded child care in Europe.
Mothers
can take 16 weeks paid maternity leave for the first
child, rising to 26 weeks for the third child. There
is also a total of 26 months parental leave.
Last
year, the government pledged more money for families with three
children in an effort to encourage working women to have
more babies.
Child care facilities are subsidised by the government.
Younger children are entitled to full-day childcare (crèches). For children
aged two to three there are pre-school programmes for which
families pay on a sliding scale.
Birth rates: 1.9 -
the second highest fertility rate in Europe.
SPAIN
Currently Spain
has the second-lowest rate of fertility among the original 15
EU member states. However in the early 1970s, it was
among the highest.
Until recently, there had been strong public
opposition to any government action aimed at increasing fertility, partly
because such policies were associated with Franco's regime and partly
because fertility was perceived as too high.
In 2003, the
government introduced a national family policy but there is still
a belief that family creation is a private matter. However,
Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has been urging companies
to set up child care facilities and promoting long-term employment
over short-term contracts.
Fully funded maternity leave can last for
16 weeks, and unpaid leave of three years is available,
but only about one-third of Spanish mothers take up maternity
benefits.
Child care services vary from region to region, with
some being shorter than the working day.
Birth rate: 1.32
ITALY
Italy has long had a problem with declining birth
rates.
The problems include what is perceived to be a
bias in the workplace to women who interrupt their careers
to have children, the high fees charged by private nurseries
and a chronic shortage of affordable housing for young people.
The Italian government offers a one-time payment of 1,000 euros
(£685) to couples who have a second child.
Late last
year a proposal that mooted paying women not to have
abortions gained popular support in Parliament.
