The percentage of fathers taking paternity leave more than tripled between 2013 and 2022. This is what emerges from the study by Save the children which, however, underlines the persistence of a strong gender imbalance between parents in the care of their children. In 2013, a little less than one father in five (i.e. 19.26%) benefited, for a total of 51,745 people. In 2022, they were more than 3 out of 5 (i.e. 64.02%), or 172,797, with little difference depending on whether they were parents of the first (65.88%), the second or subsequent children (62.08 %). In 2012, the year it was introduced, the period of absenteeism granted to working fathers lasted only one mandatory day and two optional days. Today, paternity leave guarantees 10 mandatory days and one optional day for new fathers and can be used between two months before and five months after childbirth.
Those who benefit the most live in the North
Despite the increase recorded throughout Italy, those who benefit the most – underlines the report – live in the northern provinces. Usage values above 80% are recorded in the provinces of Bergamo and Lecco (81% in both cases), Treviso (82%), Vicenza (83%) and Pordenone (85%). Although lower than 30%, they are found in the provinces of Crotone at 24%, Trapani at 27%, Agrigento and Vibo Valentia at 29%. Men aged 30 to 39 use this measure the most (65.4%), and between 40 and 49 (65.6%).
It is required by those who work in medium and large companies and with permanent contracts.
The period of abstention from work is requested – according to the study data – by those who work in medium and large companies. Indeed, among those with more than 100 employees, use is equal to 77%, reaching 45.2% in companies with 15 employees or less. But it is precisely in this last type of company that the largest increase in the use of paternity leave was recorded between 2021 and 2022 (+8.7%). Furthermore, there is a substantial difference between the different types of contracts: among workers with a permanent contract, the percentage of fathers requesting leave is close to 70% (69.49%), compared to 35.95% of those with a fixed-term contract and 19.72% among seasonal workers.
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