Belgium’s Vooruit party wants to extend birth leave for fathers and co-parents when a newborn has to remain in hospital for a longer period after birth, closing what it says is a gap in the law.
At present, fathers and co-parents receive four weeks of birth leave. After that, the only options are unpaid leave or parental leave.
MP Anja Vanrobaeys has drafted a bill to change the rules.
She says the current system creates an imbalance for parents of babies born prematurely or those who need prolonged hospital care.
While mothers can have their maternity leave extended if the baby stays in hospital, fathers and co-parents cannot.
A mother is entitled to 15 weeks of maternity leave after giving birth.
If the newborn remains in hospital for more than seven days, that leave can be extended for as long as the baby is hospitalised, up to a maximum of 24 extra weeks.
Once the baby returns home, the remaining 14 weeks of maternity leave begin. In practice, this means a mother in that situation can stay at home for up to 38 weeks after the birth.
"For fathers and co-parents, the law does not provide that option," Vanrobaeys said. "After four weeks, their birth leave ends inexorably, even though this is an emotionally difficult and demanding period for both parents, with daily hospital visits."
Under her proposal, fathers and co-parents would be allowed to stay with their baby for up to 16 additional weeks on top of the 20 days of statutory birth leave.
