Lawmakers consider easing Lithuania’s parental leave rules

Lithuanian lawmakers are considering changes to parental leave rules after few families use fathers’ non-transferable leave, LRT reported. A lawmaker says the current system can shorten the total paid leave available to a family if one parent cannot take their allotted months.

Social Democrat Darius Razmislevičius says only 24% of families use the non-transferable leave. The option was introduced in 2023: whichever parent takes leave to care for a child must transfer two months of care to the other parent. If that parent cannot take the leave, the family’s overall paid leave period is shortened.

Fathers in Lithuania take leave to care for their children in their first year much less often than mothers. Tadas, a father of two, said he and his wife decided he would take leave after the birth of their second child.

“Both parents need to build a bond, and a few hours after work or at weekends simply isn’t enough,” he said. “Having the chance to wake up in the morning with your child as your only focus is an incredible, unique opportunity, especially when we live at such a fast pace.” He said the decision was not understood by everyone and that former employers had asked whether he simply needed a holiday or more rest.

Researcher Dovilė Galdauskaitė of Vilnius University said the rules were inconvenient for both parents and employers. Parents cannot take leave at the same time, she said. If a mother is already on leave and the father takes his non-transferable months, she must return to work, potentially for just a day or a week.

Razmislevičius says the European Union directive was incorporated into Lithuanian law too strictly. He proposes allowing both parents to take leave at the same time and ensuring that a family’s total paid leave is not reduced if one parent cannot take their months. Under the current system, he said, mothers may have to return to work without childcare or take unpaid leave, losing social insurance coverage and credited service.

Galdauskaitė said families have different needs and should have more flexibility. Some opposition lawmakers also support reviewing the rules and say parents could be encouraged to use the leave by increasing the benefit rate and its cap. The social security and labour minister expects higher benefits to encourage fathers to take their non-transferable months.