From parental leave straight to court

Although parental leave could be taken by both parents since its introduction in Luxembourg in 1998, few fathers took advantage of it. It must be said that parental leave was only compensated to the tune of 1,778.31 Euros gross, a fixed amount below the unskilled minimum social wage, which at the time was close to 2,000 Euros gross. Taking this leave therefore meant having to tighten one's belt in a country where housing costs often consume more than 40 percent of household income.

The reform of family benefits initiated by Family Minister Corinne Cahen (DP) in 2016 provided the missing financial incentive to make parental leave more attractive or at least more accessible. The parental leave allowance was substituted by a replacement income that is subject to contributions and is calculated in proportion to the salary left behind. In practice, this income is not allowed to be less than the qualified minimum social wage (2,256.95 Euros gross since October 2021) for a full-time employee ─ and may not exceed 3,761.59 Euros gross. This means that the difference to the starting salary has been significantly reduced for dads who are deemed to earn more than their partners.