We cannot deny that we are moving along the right path, managing to take steps that are committed to work and family reconciliation, such as the increase in paid weeks of paternity leave. But there is still a lot of work to do.
And so is the 'I Study of Conciliation and Family', carried out by the childcare brand Suavinex: 86.3% of families find insufficient measures to reconcile that exist today, such as paid maternity leave or the reduction of working hours up to 12 years of the minor. Further, 67.1% of Spanish families say that maternity penalizes women in conciliation.
Long work hours and lack of financial aid
Work schedules, indicated by more than 80% of the respondents, and the lack of financial assistance (65%) are the two most prominent problems when conciliating, followed by the lack of support from public authorities ( 49.5%) and lack of economic resources and low wages (44.5%).
These are important issues, which have meant a historical claim by families. But according to data from this study, conducted in the month of May and involving 947 families, there are more conclusions that support the need to improve conciliation in Spain.
In Babies and moreThe figures speak: co-responsibility in the care of children between fathers and mothers, still far away The main disadvantages that families find to reconcile are:
- work schedules (82.8%)
- lack of financial aid (65%)
- lack of support from public authorities (49.4%)
- lack of economic resources, low wages, (44.5%)
- the lack of a support network, such as the family environment (15.85%)
lack of support from the couple (10.5%)
Among the aid, 90 percent of respondents speak of the need to supports that ease the economic burden which involves the arrival of a new member to the family: a monthly payment per child (29.1%); more free or subsidized schools (26.2%); baby check (17%) and nursery check (9%) '.
But, if we put on a scale more maternity leave time or financial aid, 69.6% of mothers say they prefer a longer maternity leave compared to 27.8% who prefer more financial aid.
The woman has more trouble reconciling
62.4% of women say they have problems reconciling personal, family and professional life and although 68.7% of respondents say they believe that the role of mothers is as important as that of their partners, 82.7% affirm that their degree of involvement is greater than that of their partner.
In Babies and moreThree out of four women in Spain I wish I had at least two children: lack of conciliation and money, causes for not achieving it Although 57.7% say that in their house there is co-responsibility and that all members of the house collaborate in a proportional way, 67.1% of respondents say that maternity penalizes women, compared to 9.8% who believes that penalizes men.
Moreover, women believe that maternity leave falls short and would lengthen it (96.7%). According to the respondents, the periods of ideal leave for mothers would be one year (54.6%). Then, 37% talk about six months and only 7.1% think it should last more than a year.
Parents don't have it easy either
55.5% of respondents believe that parents do not have facilities to take advantage of other conciliation measures, apart from paternity leave, such as reduced working hours or accumulations of breastfeeding hours.
They ensure that this can affect co-responsibility, since 69.1% consider that having extended paternity leave would have allowed them to increase the degree of joint responsibility in the home, compared to 30.9% who consider not.
In Babies and more How to apply for the eight-week paternity leave: step-by-step procedure guideIn fact, 69.6% liked the recent increase in paternity leave, although They believe it was more necessary to expand maternity. Only 16% of the parents surveyed found the enlargement to be good, while there is still a 13.7% that continues to believe that it was not necessary to expand it because it was more important to extend the mothers' leave.
As for the time to qualify for paternity leave, 80.4% of respondents believe that they should be able to choose according to family needs up to a specific age of the child, compared to 18.5% who consider that it should be taken at the same time as that of the mother.
Ideal reconciliation framework
Thus, according to the results that emerge from the study, families are committed to:
- Economic incentives to encourage the increase in birth rate.
- Maternity leave of one year duration.
- Non-transferable paternal leave and of the same duration as that of the mother. Subject to free choice according to family needs up to a specific age of the child.
- More assistance to families (monthly gaga per child, greater number of nursery schools, baby check per birth).
- Shorter work schedules.
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