Towards 10 weeks of paternity leave? "Vacation" or "parental equality", the question divides

The High Commission for Planning, led by Clément Beaune, is advocating for an extension of paternity leave to 10 weeks, compared to the current 28 days. This is one way to combat gender stereotypes by involving parents more. But the proposal is divisive.

Should paternity leave be extended to combat sexist stereotypes? This is one of the avenues put forward by the High Commission for Planning, led by Clément Beaune . In a report on gender stereotypes, 54% of young people aged 11-17 surveyed believe that mothers are better at meeting the needs of their children than fathers.

Hence the idea of ​​extending paternity leave to 10 weeks, 6 of which are mandatory, compared to 28 days and 7 mandatory since 2021. The objective: to instill the principle of sharing tasks from a young age: "If children see an unequal sharing of tasks, they will think that it is normal and reproduce these behaviors," Marine de Montaignac, co-author of this report, explained to RMC .

"It's beneficial for the couple in terms of dividing up tasks," assures Tristan Champion, author of the comic strip "Congé Pat" on the Estelle Midi set. He has experienced paternity leave in France for 28 days and also in Norway for 5 months: "I stayed alone with my daughter, and I discovered the whole world of early childhood. But fathers must be asked to take this paternity leave after maternity leave and not at the same time."

"In terms of parental equality, there is nothing better than putting men alone with their children," he adds.

But how do you finance this 10-week paternity leave? "At Indeed, we even go up to 6 months," Eric Gras, a labor specialist at Indeed France, told RMC and RMC Story . "It's easier to replace employees over long periods," he said.

"For a short or long timeframe, a small or large business, it's not always simple; it needs to be organized, and it's not easy," he acknowledges. But the reward is worth it: "The cost to society of not rearming the demographics will be much higher. Anything that promotes support for parents during births is good for society," continues Eric Gras.

Extended paternity leave is almost heresy for Périco Légasse : "I have four children, I've never taken paternity leave, and I've provided all the services a father should, and I've done very well," he assures. As for Juliette Briens, who doesn't have any children, she believes it's granting "10 weeks of vacation" to take care of her child.

The High Commission for Planning also proposes introducing shorter but better compensated parental leave, by reducing the duration of compensation to 8 months, to be shared between the two parents for at least 3 months each.