Paid paternity leave

The amendment to the Labor Code and other regulations introduces two weeks of paid leave for fathers, even if the mother receives maternity or parental allowance at the same time.This is the transposition of the European Union directive on the balance between the work and private life of parents and persons with caregiving duties into the legal order of the Slovak Republic.

The amendment introduces the right to paid paternity leave in order to ensure the conditions for the creation of a bond between fathers and children at an early age, to support a more equal distribution of caregiving duties between women and men, and to better harmonize their work and private lives.Fathers will thus be able to develop mutual parenting skills and also help in the household.The introduction of the institution of paternity leave can at least partially contribute to the reduction of inequalities between men and women and the elimination of discrimination against women.