Late paternity and limited leave: the challenge for Italian fathers

Time is still needed, but the direction is clear and mapped out. We started talking about new models of fatherhood and new family organisations, based on equality and not on a single figure (the father) managing powers and duties, 50 years ago, but the real acceleration towards change we have seen in the last 10-15 years and the goal has not yet been reached. The photograph of Italian fathers, however, shows that the revolution - if we look up - is underway and does not only concern women's claim to rights, but that of fathers themselves, more and more.

It is in the last decade that we have moved from the idea of a father who 'helps his mother' to that of a father who increasingly demands to be a protagonist in his parental and caring role, with an important role not only in terms of competent and daily presence, but also an emotional and biological role. A change that, however, cannot be dictated only by the good will of the individual, it is not an intimate choice, but requires a society that welcomes that choice and makes it possible. An objective fact is parental leave, which has been at the centre of the political debate in recent months after the rejection of the bill presented by the oppositions for equal leave. Why does it matter so much? As years of research on the subject report, the care received in the first months of life is essential for the wellbeing of boys and girls, and the delicate task of caregiving requires mothers to be adequately supported in the very early stages, but it also shows the fundamental role played by the direct involvement of fathers from the very beginning, for proper emotional and cognitive development.

According to Inps data compiled by Save the children, in 2024 the use of paternity leave in Italia remains stable and concerns 64% of employed fathers. But if we look at the trend over the last ten years, the rate of use of paternity leave has more than tripled: in fact, more than 3 fathers out of 5 use it, although still with marked geographical differences. An increase that indicates - indeed - a will and a direction, but not enough.

In Italia the compulsory leave for fathers at the birth of a child is 10 days to be taken within the first five months of the birth. It means that it is 10 days, not necessarily consecutive, during whichthe employee's salary is 100%. Dads, therefore, are granted the right to accompany their children and mother to their first visits after the birth and to stay at home with them if it is OK for a week. Very little compared to what happens in other European countries. The comparison with Europe then shows us an interesting correlation: if we compare the duration of compulsory parental leave with OECD data on the average hours devoted to care work by men and women, we see that as the former increases for men, the latter also increases. Caring is somehow learned, shared, consolidated, through practice and experience. It is not something genetically predetermined.

If one seriously wants to talk about new models of fatherhood, it is not possible to relegate the choices solely to a question of personal predisposition or individual choice. Society and institutions must take charge of a demand for change that goes increasingly in the direction of a greater space required by fathers in the care and upbringing of their children.

In Italia, compulsory paternity leave was approved for the first time in 2012, only 14 years ago, and that it was only for one day, included on an experimental basis It is clear that, thanks to the transposition of European Directive 2019/1158 (through Legislative Decree 105/2022), a long way has been traveled: from an almost symbolic concession to what is increasingly a reclaimed right, which goes in the direction of real shared parenting.