Overview
- INED reports that 59% of fathers took the full paternity leave in 2022, and 81% extended their absence beyond the mandatory week between 2021 and 2023.
- The 2021 extension from 11 to 25 days reinforced an existing upward trend in take-up rather than creating a sharp break, according to the study.
- Access remains highly uneven, with far lower use among fathers on fixed-term contracts, the self-employed, or unemployed than among civil servants and permanent employees.
- The government has signaled a separate paid birth leave starting in July, with provisional compensation at 70% of net pay for the first month and 60% for the second, pending a decree.
- The HR think tank Cercle Humania urges additional protections and practical support for precarious workers and small firms to ensure expanded leave can be used.