As of this Wednesday, November 8, 2023, the news is official: from 2025, young parents will be able to take advantage of a new family leave, whether for a biological birth or an adoption.
This leave will be the logical continuation of maternity and paternity leave, which parents will be able to take after their original leave. Each parent will be entitled to take this new family leave, which complements parental leave, according to what suits them best: one after the other or both at the same time, full-time or part-time, according to France Info.
As a reminder, parental leave is :
- the continuation of maternity leave (16 weeks) and paternity leave (25 days)
- a right for all new parents, following the birth or adoption of a child under the age of 16
- at least one year's seniority with the company at the date of the child's birth or arrival at home is required
- full-time or part-time leave, provided you work at least 16 hours a week in the latter case
- an initial period of one year, renewable 2 times.
The difference between this new leave and the existing parental leave is in the remuneration. Unlike current parental leave, which is compensated at a rate of €429 per month, the new family leave scheme will offer parents better compensation (the amount of which is not yet known), to enable them to make a real choice about whether or not to take parental leave when their child is born. Indeed, the number of parents taking parental leave has plummeted over the years, not least because of the low remuneration on offer: €429 is not enough to replace a salary. The French Minister for Solidarity, Aurore Bergé, is currently working with social partners and the Union nationale des associations familiales (UNAF) to implement this new right by next year.
