Parental allowance

Traditional role models are giving way: More and more fathers are taking an active part in the care and upbringing of their children. This can be seen, among other things, in the proportion of fathers receiving parental allowance. In 2023, the proportion of fathers in North Rhine-Westphalia among all parental allowance recipients increased again by 0.4 percentage points to 24.9% compared to 2022. Nationwide, the proportion of fathers was slightly higher at 26.2%. These are the latest statistics from the state statistics office IT.NRW.

Taking parental leave may still not be a matter of course for fathers, but the trend is clearly on the up. So if you are also thinking about taking time for your family and your child, you are in good company. The proportion of fathers receiving parental allowance has been rising steadily for years.

In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, around 99,900 men received parental allowance in 2023. Many fathers not only take parental leave for two months, but also want to take advantage of the opportunity to build a close bond with their child and experience unique moments together for a longer period of time. On average, men in North Rhine-Westphalia planned to take parental allowance for four months in 2023.

Although more and more fathers are opting to claim parental allowance, there are still significant differences between mothers and fathers, particularly in terms of the amount of entitlement and the duration of entitlement.

Let's take a closer look:

• Around 301,500 women received parental allowance in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2023. This means that the number of women receiving parental allowance is still more than three times as high as the number of men (around 99,900).
• The average planned duration of receipt for women in 2023 was around 14 months (nationwide, this figure was also around 14 months).

This analysis of parental allowance is based on the results of the parental allowance statistics from the Federal Statistical Office destatis. The data used here includes both basic parental allowance and parental allowance plus.

• For detailed information on entitlement, duration and registration for unpaid leave from work, see the article "Parental leave".
• If you would like to share family duties and childcare with your partner, it is important to discuss your wishes and ideas with each other. In the article "Dividing family work: How do couples achieve a fair division?"", you will find tips and food for thought on how to conduct the discussion.
• Not all employers are happy when fathers want to take a longer break from work. You should therefore talk to your line manager as early as possible. You can find tips on this in the article "I'm off for a while. How do I tell my boss?"
• If you would like to have more time for your family and children and are thinking about part-time work, we recommend the article "Part-time: work less - spend more time with your child."