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Have Denmark’s new parental leave rules changed mums’ and dads’ time off with babies?

New parental leave rules introduced in 2022 have led to fathers spending more time off work with their babies and mothers less, according to new data.

Published: 23 August 2023 16:59 CEST
Have Denmark’s new parental leave rules changed mums’ and dads’ time off with babies?
Illustration photo. Fathers are spending more time with babies but mothers less after the introduction of new parental leave rules, data suggest. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

During an eight-week period in 2022, fathers and co-mothers took an average of 2.5 weeks more parental leave compared to the year before.

The statistic was reported by broadcaster DR and media Finans based on data from Udbetaling Danmark, the agency responsible for processing payments of welfare benefits including for parental leave.

The data also show that mothers took and average of 3.3 weeks less in leave, according to Finans.

A law which came into effect on August 2nd 2022 guarantees each parent 11 weeks of so-called “earmarked” leave with their newborn child. For fathers and co-mothers, this is 9 weeks more than the earmarked leave under the previous rules.

The new rules mean each parent gets 11 weeks of non-transferable parental leave after their child is born. One parent cannot transfer any of the ‘earmarked’ leave to the other, meaning if they do not use the full 11 weeks, they eventually lapse.

Denmark changed its parental leave rules in part to comply with an EU directive requiring member states earmark nine weeks of statutory parental leave for fathers.

READ ALSO: Denmark’s parental leave rules explained

Parents get a total of 48 weeks of leave after their child is born, an amount unchanged from the previous rules.

The new data are the first to be available since the new law took effect and are based on a comparison of an eight-week period from August 2nd and September 23rd in both 2021 and 2022.

“The data basis covers just under eight weeks and we are therefore considering this as an indication of a trend,” head of department for parental leave at Udbetaling Danmark, Marianne Knudsen, told Finans.

“Data become more valid as the amount of time increases which means that the initial trend can both become stronger or weaker or markedly change overall,” she said.

An earlier analysis from the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA), released in March, showed a similar trend to that evident from Udbetaling Danmark.

The IDA study found fathers took 13.6 weeks of leave compared to 9.5 weeks in average under the former rules. Women took 4.5 weeks less on average.

In March 2022, when parliament adopted the new parental leave law, then-minister for employment Peter Hummelgaard said its objective was to help babies to form strong bonds with both parents.

“It is a very positive day for Denmark now that parental leave will be divided evenly between parents. That will benefit mums, dads and especially children,” Hummelgaard said at the time.

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RESIDENCE PERMITS

Foreign spouses already in Denmark will not get back 57,000 kroner deposit 

Danes and foreign partners who have already deposited up to 114,000 kroner to qualify for family reunification, will not be allowed to withdraw some of the money when a new law halves the required security in July, Denmark's immigration service has told The Local.

Published: 15 May 2024 09:47 CEST
Updated: 15 May 2024 11:50 CEST
Foreign spouses already in Denmark will not get back 57,000 kroner deposit 

The new law on spousal reunion, which should be voted through parliament on May 30th, proposes that the bankgaranti, or bank guarantee, the deposit couples need to leave in an account accessible to their local municipality, be halved from 114,000 kroner to 57,000 kroner (both 2024 level) from July 1st.  

However, according to the Danish Immigration Service, couples who have already completed the process before July 1st and have already deposited the full guarantee will not be able to draw down their deposit to the new, lower, sum. 

“A concluded case resulting in a residence permit issued prior to the proposal is not subject to the new rules. Therefore, it will only be possible to reduce the collateral guarantee requirement with the amounts applicable before the amendment of the law,”  the immigration service told The Local in a written statement. 

The purpose of the bank guarantee is ostensibly to ensure that municipalities can draw from the fund to pay for costs such as unemployment benefits, if the family reunified person needs them.

But the requirement may have little practical effect because foreign nationals resident under family reunification rules are likely to lose their residence status anyway if unemployed, negating the need for social welfare benefits.

READ ALSO: What’s in the new law on bringing a foreign spouse to Denmark?

The immigration service told The Local that anyone whose application had yet to receive a decision at the time the new law was presented to parliament on April 11th will be invited to request that the decision on their application be delayed until after July 1st, so that their application will only need to meet the new more lenient rules. 

In these situations, it said, the spouse already residing in Denmark will generally be contacted via their Digital Post and asked whether they want the decision on their case to be delayed.  

Couples who have had their request for family reunion rejected “due to non-compliance with the current requirement for collateral guarantee or the current language requirement”, will be allowed to sbmit a new application under the new rules after July 1st.

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