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Selected OECD countries with more than two weeks of statutory paid paternity or parental leave available to fathers

  Paid paternity Paid parental leave
Allocation1 Earnings replacement Take-up2 Special incentives for fathers
Austria 2006 None 18 months,
family
Flat rate
(low benefits)
2% 6 extra months
Belgium 2006 10 days 24 weeks:
12, mother;
12, father
Flat rate
(low benefits)
<7% Not applicable
Canada 2006
Quebec 5 weeks 32 weeks,
family
55-75% 48% Not applicable
Rest of Canada None 35 weeks,
family
55% 10% Not applicable
Denmark 2006 2 weeks 32 weeks,
family
Unemployment benefit rate 62% Not applicable
Finland 2005 3 weeks 26 weeks,
family
43-82% 10% 2 extra weeks
France 2006 11 days 36 months,
family
Flat rate (half minimum wage) 1% Not applicable
Germany 2007 None 12 months,
family
67% 9% 2 extra months
Iceland 2005 None 9 months:
3, mother;
3, father;
3, family
80% 84% Not applicable
Italy 2006 None 10 months,
family
30% 7% 1 extra month
Luxembourg 2006 2 days 12 months:
6, mother;
6, father
Flat rate (minimum wage)
17% Not applicable
Norway 2006 None 54 weeks:
9, mother;
6, father;
39, family
80-100% 89% Not applicable
Portugal 2006 5 days 15 days,
father
100% 30% Not applicable
Sweden 2006 2 weeks 68 weeks:
8, mother;
8, father;
52, family
80% 90% Not applicable
1. Family leave can be shared between parents; leave by sex is non-transferable (if a parent does not use the leave, it is forfeited).
2. Although this is meant to refer to fathers' participation rate in parental leave, as in the case of Quebec, it is not always clear if a distinction has been made between paternity and parental leave.
Sources: Anxo et al. (2007); Moss and Wall (2007); European Commission (2006); Moss and O'Brien (2006); Plantenga and Remery (2005); websites www.stakes.fi and www.dw-world.de.