Europe is giving more parental leave to its workers

Parents OFTEN feel they can do nothing right. Whether they are too cautious or too relaxed, someone will think they are doing it wrong. And the conundrums begin before childbirth: how much time to take off work afterwards? Too little and they will miss out on valuable time with the offspring; too long, and their boss may write them off as slackers. It is not just parents who worry about this. Policymakers have mulled the question for decades.

Most European countries have been making parental leave more generous since the 1980s. The EU sets a statutory minimum of 14 weeks leave for mothers and, since 2022, two weeks for fathers. But many member states offer leave that is much longer: the average across the EU is 21 weeks for women and three weeks for men, but lengths vary wildly (see top chart).