Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke has proposed extending paternity leave by one week, bringing the total to 25 days, to encourage a fairer distribution of household responsibilities after the birth of a child.
Vandenbroucke shared his proposal in an interview with 'Knack' magazine, saying the change could lead to a better organisation of family tasks and give fathers valuable extra time with their newborns.
The announcement comes amid broader debates on pensions, particularly comments by Pensions Minister Jan Jambon regarding gender-related consequences of reforms. Vandenbroucke criticised Jambon’s remarks, calling them “absolutely not wise” and “revolting” if they implied women should work harder or adapt more than men.
He noted that many women already juggle careers and family life, often taking on a disproportionate share of household duties. Expanding paternity leave, he argued, was a step towards easing this imbalance.
The proposal builds on Vandenbroucke’s earlier work, since he introduced initial paternity leave measures in 2002. Under this new plan, single mothers would receive the additional week by default, alongside their maternity leave. If the father is unemployed, the week would also automatically transfer to the mother’s leave entitlement.
The extension, Vandenbroucke added, is part of a broader plan for a “family credit” system, where birth leave, maternity leave, and parental leave would be pooled into one framework and freely shared between parents. Although the concept is included in the government’s agreement, no concrete action has yet been taken.
Christen Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V) parliamentarian Nahima Lanjri, whose party championed the family credit proposal during coalition talks, praised the extra paternity leave as a crucial first step towards equal caregiving duties.
She highlighted the CD&V’s role in securing this measure during last year’s budget negotiations.
Lanjri also confirmed that the policy would apply retroactively to all babies born this year, ensuring that they benefit from the additional week.
She urged swift government action to create a legal framework for implementing the family credit, which could grant parents up to 24 weeks of leave per child.
