Families rejoice in receiving childcare leave compensation and petition for an additional week's extension due to a birth event.
In a significant move, the Spanish Government has recently extended childcare and maternity leave, aiming to better support families with young children, particularly large and single-parent families.
The reforms, approved by the Spanish Council of Ministers in July 2025, extend birth and care leave for parents from 16 to 17 weeks each. The first six weeks are mandatory immediately after birth, with the rest remaining flexible within the first year. Additionally, parents now gain two extra fully paid weeks of parental leave to care for children up to 8 years old, raising the paid entitlement from 8 to 10 weeks. These two weeks apply retroactively from August 2, 2024.
For single-parent households, specifically those headed by women, maternity leave has been extended to a total of 32 weeks of paid leave. This significant extension recognizes the particular needs of single-parent families.
The government anticipates further increases, with plans to raise paid parental leave to 20 weeks per parent by 2027. These measures mark a significant advance in Spain’s family leave policies, aiming to promote equitable sharing of childcare responsibilities.
The Spanish Federation of Large Families (FEFN) finds the Government's decisions "positive". However, FEFN continues to demand an additional week of leave for each parent, based on the needs of caring for multiple children, in addition to a new baby.
Despite these extended leave options, families still face challenges in caring for children during pre-vacation dates. Moreover, half of the families who did not take the 8-week unpaid leave did so for economic reasons.
The Spanish Government is also reimburseing two weeks of childcare leave for children up to 8 years old, aiming to alleviate some of the financial burden for families during this time.
The FEFN considers the extension of maternity leave to be positive for parents to spend more time with their new baby. The organisation continues to advocate for the recognition of the special needs of large families.
In summary, Spain's recent family leave reforms aim to provide better support for families with young children, particularly large and single-parent families, and promote equitable sharing of childcare responsibilities. However, challenges remain, and further discussions and policies may be needed to address these issues.
| Leave Type | Previous Duration | New Duration | Notes | |---------------------------|-----------------------------|----------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Birth and care leave | 16 weeks per parent | 17 weeks per parent | 6 weeks mandatory post-birth, remainder flexible within 12 months | | Parental leave | Up to 8 weeks (unpaid) | 10 weeks total (2 weeks now paid) | 2 paid weeks retroactive from August 2, 2024, for caring children under 8 years old | | Single-parent maternity leave | Not specified | 32 weeks paid | Significantly extended for single-parent families, mostly women-headed |
[1] Spanish Government Press Release, July 2025 [2] FEFN Survey, 2024 [3] EU Directive 2019/1158 on work-life balance [4] Spanish Government Policy Document, 2027
The Spanish Government, taking steps to improve family-health and parenting, has extended birth and care leave for parents from 16 to 17 weeks each, including a significant extension for single-parent families. Recognizing the needs of families in the health-and-wellness sector, the government also introduced two extra paid weeks of parental leave for caring children up to 8 years old, raising the paid entitlement from 8 to 10 weeks.
