Press Statement Planned reduction of the income limit for parental allowance jeopardizes gender equality gains

Christiane Benner, Second Chair of IG Metall: “We consider the planned reduction of the income limit for parental allowance to be a major mistake! The coalition is thereby jeopardizing the achievements in gender equality policy of recent years and pushing many women out of the workforce and back into traditional gender roles.

Works council members in the IG Metall union’s organizational area have been reporting for some time that fathers are taking less or no parental leave, partly due to high inflation and the associated costs. This is due, among other things, to the fact that parental allowance has remained stagnant at the 2007 level. The coalition agreement had originally stipulated that the minimum and maximum rates for parental allowance would be indexed to inflation. Instead of implementing this plan, the government now intends to further restrict the group of eligible recipients. This will result in a substantial setback for gender equality policy and must be urgently reconsidered!”