Maternity Leave in France

It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I am talking about maternity leave in France. As always I have no first hand knowledge, so if you want to know more you can check out this very comprehensive guide to Parental Leave in France, the BBC’s comparison of benefits in France in the UK, a summary of the French Labour Code, or info about having a baby in France.

The French government offers comprehensive and generous benefits to new parents. It’s all part of an effort to increase the birth rate, and it might be working. According to Wikipedia the French birth rate ranks 152nd in the world compared to Canada at 169 or Germany at 192. So what are these benefits, and how great are they really?

New mothers in France receive 6 weeks of maternity leave before their child’s birth, and 10 weeks after. For your third (or fourth or fifth or …) child this goes up to 8 weeks before and 18 weeks after. In the event of twins or triplets mothers are eligible for either 34 or 46 weeks total leave, 22 of which are taken after the babies are born. If a baby comes early then the extra weeks of prenatal leave are added on at the end, and if a baby comes late the leave is extended so that you receive the total allowed weeks after the baby is born.

Fathers are eligible for 11 days of paternity leave (18 days in the case of multiples) which can be taken anytime within the first 4 months after birth, and 3 days of leave when the child is born.

New parents in France are also eligible for three years of parental leave, which can be shared between partners. Parents also have the option of working part time during these three years.

Adoptive parents in France receive 10 weeks of leave following the adoption, which can be used by either parent. In the case of multiple adoptions leave is longer. Adoptive parents are also eligible for parental leave provided they are adopting a child under 16 years of age.

During maternity and adoption leave parents receive their full net salary, up to a maximum amount. During parental leave parents are eligible for an allowance from the government. This allowance varies depending on whether you are working part-time or not at all, and how many children you have.

The family-friendly policies in France don’t end with parental leave. Those with two children receive a regular monthly allowance and families with three or more children receive a higher allowance as well as special benefits, including transit subsidies. Government-run childcare is widely available from the age of 2 months on and fees are charged on a sliding scale, ranging from free to approximately 15% of your income for high wage earners. Nursery schools are free from the age of three on.

France has a high proportion of mothers in the work force compared to other countries. There is a societal expectation that the country as a whole will help to care for children and support families. It is an attitude that I wish were present in more countries. Parenting is hard work, if we really want to be family friendly we need to put our money where our mouth is.

Vive la France!