Having children, usually it is a matter of two but as long as we have a maternity leave of different duration and transferable to that of paternity, this equality continues to catch us away.
Trying to take a step in favor of equality and betting on birth, This morning the Proposal No of Law was passed in Congress, asking that maternity and paternity leave be matched and made non-transferable.
The proposal of the PPIINA (Platform for Equal and Non-Transferable Birth and Adoption Permits) has been presented by the parliamentary group of Unidos Podemos and has had 173 votes in favor, those of Unidos Podemos, En Comú Podem, En Marea, PSOE, EAJ and PNV. Has also had 2 votes against and has caused the abstention of 163 deputies, those of the PP, Citizens and Asturias Forum.
It is not the first time that the need for this reform comes to the Congress of Deputies (this is the third) but it is the first time it has been approved. Now it has to be treated in plenary session in the hemicycle, as soon as possible so that it can be effective, provided it gets sufficient support from the Government.
From popular will to law
The proposal that has been approved today urges the government to establish a progressive calendar to increase the length of paternity leave until it equals the current maternity period of 16 weeks.
Pose that the casualties are equal in duration, that they are not transferable, that the permits are paid 100% in both cases and that the protection of the job is the same for both parents during the exercise of this right.
For that, it is also urged that the next government provide for the budgets of the next year, the year 2017, the extension of these permits and the necessary coverage so that they can be implemented progressively.
A non-law proposal can only "urge" or request the government to take into account what is requested as it is backed up or by a collection of signatures or by a popular feeling or by both initiatives. The intention is to be included in a law later but for that you must return to the full Congress and find sufficient support and political will in the government team on duty.
By itself, an NLP (Proposal No of Law) is a declaration of intent that shows who is in favor or against the possibility of such a request being transformed into a law.
Real inequality
It is evident that currently the birth rate translates too many times into a labor problem for the mothers, with what that entails.
Labor discrimination, perpetuation of the gender gap and, in addition, an obvious negative impact on the country's fertility figures and the population pyramid. We become an increasingly old country, partly thanks to measures that do not promote equality.
Regarding the duration of maternity leave, Spain is below the European average that places the permits around 23 weeks, and among countries that have a shorter duration but that is something that will have to be addressed in In the future, the non-law proposal passed this morning is a step towards real equality between mothers and fathers when it comes to having a child.
