Achtzehn Wochen bezahlter Urlaub für Eltern: Die falsche Antwort auf die Vereinbarkeitsfrage

The proposed 18-week paid parental leave initiative for parents would cost an additional 1 to 1.5 billion francs annually, with limited benefits. Instead, a more helpful solution would be to offer flexible maternity leave and workplace solutions. Becoming a parent changes everything for parents, and for working parents, a practical question soon arises: How can they balance work and family life?

The current political response seems to focus mainly on parental leave. In late September, the Familienzeit-Initiative was submitted, doubling the leave period from 14 to 18 weeks for both mother and father. Several cantons are also pushing for an expansion through grassroots initiatives. While the intention is understandable—encouraging mothers to participate more in the workforce and fathers to take more caregiving leave—the effectiveness and cost of such measures are crucial.

Extending parental leave would not be cheap, costing between 1 and 1.5 billion francs annually, financed through higher payroll contributions. Additionally, there would be organizational overhead when employees are absent. The benefits, however, are modest. Paid time off can help with the return to work for mothers, but its impact depends on its duration.

Prolonged periods away from work can negatively affect future employment and earnings. Studies from 24 European countries show negative employment effects when maternal leave exceeds three months. Other studies find adverse effects only later. However, the research is consistent: the longer the leave, the lower the additional benefit.

Out of the four additional weeks for mothers, little positive employment effect is expected. They do, though, have a comparatively low cost. The largest cost component is for fathers, accounting for roughly four-fifths of the extra expense. Therefore, looking closely at the impact is more beneficial. While fathers with longer leave become more involved in childcare, it usually has little impact on their own employment and income.

Yet, the hope that mothers could benefit professionally has not materialized yet. For instance, when Norway extended the portion of parental leave reserved for fathers from six to ten weeks, fathers took longer leaves and mothers took shorter ones, but both parents' subsequent incomes remained unchanged. Clearly, spending time with one's child is valuable, even if it doesn't translate into measurable effects.

Still, some additional weeks may not solve the long-term challenges of work-life balance. Rather, what matters is how much flexibility families have to organize their daily lives. This lack of flexibility is already evident in maternity leave. Fathers can take their two weeks anytime within half a year without interrupting their claim, while mothers must take their 14 weeks at once, losing the rest of their entitlement if they return to work earlier.

Why not allow mothers to take the remaining six weeks day by day, providing a stepwise return to work? This could benefit freelance hairdressers who cannot close their salon for months or executives who cannot fully delegate important tasks. The health protection and voluntariness must remain intact. However, the additional expenses would be minimal, as the entitlement would remain the same, only the payment would become more flexible.

Yet, the leave ends after a few weeks, not solving the work-life balance issue. More importantly, the conditions under which parents work afterward are crucial. Research shows that having control over one's working hours and reliable schedules can greatly facilitate the balance between work and family life. Many companies already have different models, from individually tailored job shares to flexible schedules.

What works well for a large corporation may pose significant organizational challenges for a small business. Therefore, solutions tailored to each family and business case are needed. The Familienzeit-Initiative, however, primarily relies on longer statutory leaves. In doing so, families would be more helped with solutions that fit their daily work.

After all, work-life balance is not determined by 18 weeks but by 18 years. Melanie Häner-Müller leads the Social Policy area at the Institute for Swiss Economic Policy (IWP) at the University of Lucerne. The Familienzeit-Initiative's director discusses the solution he believes Switzerland should adopt—until he stutters when the issue of breastfeeding is raised.

All major parties support equal paid parental leave for mothers and fathers, but they differ greatly in their approach. A new IWP study questions family policy dogmas: Switzerland-wide childcare subsidies are inefficient, and expanding parental leave would offer little additional benefit. The best results come from tax deductions.