A growing number of fathers in Germany want to play a larger role in caring for their children, according to a report from the Family Ministry. However, there is still a lack of implementation of the wish.
More and more fathers in Germany want to take on a larger role in childcare. On Tuesday, Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus wants to officially present the Fathers’ Report 2023, from which the newspapers of the Funke media group quoted in advance.
According to this, every second father wants to take over half of the childcare. 55 percent are of the opinion that small children can be cared for by their father just as well as by their mother. Paus told the newspapers that the new report shows that fathers want a division of tasks in the family organized as partners much more than before.
There is a lack of implementation
But she also emphasized: “The gap between desire and reality is still large.” According to the Fathers’ Report, only one in five actually puts the desire for an equal distribution of care into practice.
The discrepancy cuts across many areas, the newspapers quote from the report. Two thirds of fathers support financial independence for both parents and equal professional opportunities. Nevertheless, according to the information, more than half of the fathers stick to the traditional family picture when it comes to the division of time between childcare and gainful employment.
Paus plans “Family Start Time”
Paus referred to the “family start time” she planned. This is intended to allow fathers to be released from work for the first ten working days after the birth of their child with full wage compensation.
This in turn is intended to “encourage fathers to put their wishes into action” and support parents in “developing a partnership in the early phase of the family,” said the minister.