The citizens' initiative would cost €485–500 million annually, roughly double the government's €226–230 million plan, according to the Ministry of Labour.
In 2024, women took an average of 138.9 days of initial parental leave, men just 34.5 days, out of a 152-day average.
Minister Palma Ramalho argued that unconditional leave would worsen career penalties for women, citing hiring discrimination and pay gaps.
The proposal was backed by over 40,000 signatures and debated after the government's labour reform was rejected in June.
The hearing, requested by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), examined a citizens' initiative signed by over 40,000 people that would extend initial parental leave to 180 days at 100% pay, with no requirement for parents to share the leave. The government's own plan, already budgeted in the 2026 State Budget, also extends leave to six months at full pay but makes the final 60 days conditional on equal sharing between mother and father. The labour reform package that contained the government's proposal was rejected in Parliament in June, but the parental leave component remains under discussion.
According to figures presented by the Ministry of Labour, the government's shared-leave model would cost between €226 million and €230 million per year. The citizens' initiative would push that to between €485 million and €500 million, roughly €275 million more. The extra cost breaks down into €107 million for the progressive extension of leave time and €150 million for the father's exclusive leave, on top of the €228 million baseline. "There is no financial sustainability for this proposal at this moment," Palma Ramalho told lawmakers, adding that the government only has budgetary room for the measures already planned.
“The government had already foreseen this increase of 228 million, which is not so little, and is available to accommodate something similar to this because it is already there.”
Data from the article text
The minister argued that unconditional leave would deepen existing inequalities. Social Security data for 2024 show that the average initial parental leave lasts 152 days, but women take 138.9 days on average while men take just 34.5 days. In the same year, 72,041 processes were opened for the father's exclusive leave in the obligatory period, compared with 54,000 in the optional period. Palma Ramalho warned that without a sharing requirement, women would continue to bear the career costs: hiring discrimination, dismissal during pregnancy or leave, slower career progression, and a widening pay gap.
“Any measure that increases the potential for this to continue is a measure that violates the principle of equality between men and women.”
The government's proposal ties the 100% pay rate to the last 60 days being split equally. Palma Ramalho cited Sweden as an example of policies that incentivise shared leave and stressed that the European Union also imposes the promotion of balance. She rejected the idea that limiting breastfeeding leave to two years reflects prejudice, saying the issue is not breastfeeding time but the cost to employers of paying for eight hours while the employee works six.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground. There is no feeding of prejudice against breastfeeding mothers. It is not the breastfeeding time that is at stake, but the time the employer pays: eight hours a day for six hours of work.”
The parliamentary debate on parental leave continues without consensus. The government has signalled it will not support the citizens' initiative in its current form, while the initiative's backers maintain that families should have the option of a longer fully paid leave without mandatory sharing. No vote has been scheduled.
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Minister Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho told Parliament that a citizens' proposal for six months at full pay without mandatory sharing would cost €485–500 million, double the government's €226–230 million plan.
AI text based on reports by JN, Notícias ao Minuto, SIC Notícias and other publishers. Published .