Sumar has submitted a non-binding motion in the Congress of Deputies for debate in the Plenary, urging the Government to compensate for the eight-week parental leave. Additionally, it calls for extending the birth and child care leave to twenty weeks for both parents.
As outlined in the initiative accessed by Europa Press, it urges the Government to compensate for the eight-week parental leave to fully transpose the Directive of the European Parliament and the Council of 20 June 2019 on the reconciliation of family and professional life of parents and caregivers.
The party also advocates for extending the birth and child care leaves to twenty weeks for both parents. It also requests for the corresponding regulatory modifications to comply with the Constitutional Court’s ruling on equalizing the birth and child care leaves for single-parent families.
In this regard, Sumar denounces in the statement of reasons that the leaves in Spain for maternity, paternity, and care «are still insufficient.» «The duration of the leaves for birth and child care, the link of leaves and benefits to the existence of an employment relationship, or the lack of compensation for some leaves make reconciliation and care a real obstacle course for families in Spain,» it emphasizes.
This situation is said to have «multiple consequences.» Firstly, it is claimed to impact the desire of many people who wish to start a family but do not find the material conditions to do so. It is also highlighted that it affects the right of children to be cared for «in conditions of equality and dignity,» especially in the case of single-parent families.
«But above all, the absence of a comprehensive system of leaves and benefits, adequate and sufficient, creates enormous gender imbalances, placing a greater burden of care on women and thus hindering their personal and professional development,» it warns.
In the same vein, it explains that women devote twice as much time to childcare as men. It states that while women spend 6.7 hours, men dedicate around 3.7 hours of their time, according to the Center for Sociological Research (CIS).
It also points out that the gap in terms of care is reflected in the high rates of part-time and temporary work for women and in the «unequal use and enjoyment» of leaves and breaks for care by women and men.
«For these reasons, it is necessary to guarantee the right to care and reconciliation in Spain for all individuals, without any discrimination, through the introduction of regulatory changes that ensure the right to care and be cared for,» it concludes.