France is doubling paternity leave – which will make us hapless British fathers even more neurotic about our parenting
Liberté, égalité, paternité: the dastardly French are at it again. They’ve always known how to hit us when we’re down. In the same week that Michael Gove announced plans to cede Kent to the EU, President Macron said he was doubling paternity leave. From July next year, new fathers in France will get 28 days off, seven of which will be mandatory, making it one of the more generous schemes in Europe. Macron said parents should have “more equality in sharing the responsibility from day one”. British fathers get just two optional weeks.
The French president doesn’t have children of his own, and I expect most leaders in that position would think it was enough simply to offer the paid leave. But Macron, canny as ever, knows that if presented with the option of a paid week with their newborn, many partners would prefer to go to the office for free.
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