Parental Leave: This Report Proposes Adding a 3rd Month, in Addition to Maternity and Paternity Leave

In response to a historic decline in birth rates, the High Commissioner for Strategy and Planning has unveiled concrete proposals to better support families. Between the extension of parental leave and universal access to childcare, these measures aim to transform your daily life so that the arrival of a child is no longer synonymous with a challenging journey.

Parental Leave Extended to Encourage Shared Responsibility

The new parental leave, set to take effect on July 1, 2026, is already being heralded as a major turning point for new parents. Currently designed to last two months per parent in addition to traditional maternity and paternity leave, this system could still evolve. Experts from the High Commissioner recommend adding a third month of compensation. However, this extension would not be automatic as it would be contingent on the second parent, most often the father, taking at least one month of this leave.

This proposal is directly inspired by Scandinavian models where early involvement of fathers is a cornerstone of family balance. In addition to compensation set at 70% and then 60% of net salary, this additional month would help break the exclusive mother-child dynamic and reduce the mental load that still too often falls on women. The report also recommends strengthening support through Maternal and Child Protection services or the Houses of the First 1,000 Days so that every parent can find their footing with ease.

To support this cultural shift, the report also suggests enhancing support through Maternal and Child Protection services or the Houses of the First 1,000 Days, particularly by creating father support groups modeled after those in Sweden.

Financial Compensation Becomes a Real Lever

One of the major barriers to utilizing parental leave until now has been the inadequacy of compensation. With the previous PreParE, parents had to settle for a monthly allowance of around 456 euros, a sum often insufficient to maintain the family’s standard of living. The new system radically changes the situation by indexing the allowance to the parents' actual income. Unless there are last-minute changes, the first month of this new leave should be compensated at 70% of the previous net salary, and the second month at 60%, all within the limits set by social security.

This change in approach is essential to allow middle-class and lower-income households to take time off without sacrificing their financial stability. By offering a replacement income proportional to salary, the government hopes to make time spent with children accessible to a larger number of families. This reevaluation reflects an awareness of current economic realities: caring for one’s child is a caregiving job that deserves solid financial recognition rather than just a symbolic compensation.

Access to Childcare Becomes a National Priority

Beyond the first months spent at home, the issue of childcare remains a critical challenge for many households. The report highlights striking social inequalities, as only 19% of the most modest families have access to formal childcare, compared to over 70% among wealthier households. To correct this imbalance, the High Commissioner advocates for the establishment of effective access to childcare solutions for all children from the age of 1.

Too many parents, particularly mothers, are forced to extend their leave or reduce their working hours due to a lack of reliable and affordable childcare solutions. By making childcare a concrete right, the ambition is to secure parents' journeys right from the end of parental leave. This continuity between family time and returning to work is seen as key to reassuring couples who are still hesitant about expanding their families.

Family Policy Adapts to New Aspirations

All these measures are part of a desire to rethink our social model without imposing a demographic norm. The High Commissioner acknowledges that family policies alone cannot reverse deep societal trends such as the postponement of the age of first motherhood or the evolution of personal aspirations. The challenge is therefore to support conscious depopulation by offering a more protective safety net.