Fewer employees take parental leave

Fewer employees took parental leave in 2008 than in previous years, but the average leave period increased.

Employees less often use the opportunity to take parental leave

Last year, 250 thousand employees were entitled to parental leave; 67 thousand indeed took parental leave, fewer than in previous years. Over the past three years, more than 75 thousand people annually took parental leave.

Women more frequently took parental leave than men. Last year, 43 thousand women used the opportunity to take parental leave, as against 24 thousand men. The corresponding figures for 2007 were 50 thousand women and 25 thousand men. So women more often gave up their right to take parental leave.

Employees taking parental leave

Most employees take intermittent periods of parental leave

Most employees on parental leave (a maximum period of 13 weeks) did not take an uninterrupted period in 2008. Rather, they spread their leave over an average period of 11 months, as opposed to 9 months in 2007.

Women, more often than men, took an uninterrupted period of parental leave. Hence, women on average spread their leave over a shorter period.

Distribution of parental leave periods over the year

Most employees on parental leave had children in the age category 0–2.

Lian Kösters