Grandparenthood
The grandparents time is applicable under certain conditions, legal right of grandparents to work exemption to care for their grandchildren ( § 15 Federal Parental Benefit Act). Since January 1, 2009, grandparents have a statutory right to a leave of absence of up to three years if one parent is a minor and attends school or is doing an apprenticeship, provided that the grandchildren lives in the grandparents' household. The grandparents do not receive any financial compensation for their loss of earnings. Instead, the parents are entitled to the parental allowance even if the grandparents care for them. Grandparents' leave is intended to help young people complete their initial education even in the event of teenage pregnancy .
Previously, relatives up to the third degree and their spouses could claim parental leave and parental allowance in cases of hardship if the parents were unable to look after their child due to illness, severe disability or death.
According to an article published in Stern , the inclusion of grandparents in professional parental leave goes back to an initiative by family politician Nicolette Kressl (SPD).
In the case of childcare allowance, which expired at the end of 2006, there was a comparable regulation that in certain cases gave grandparents not only the right to parental leave, but also to childcare allowance.
Political reactions
Parts of the CSU and the FDP had rejected the proposal.
The Zukunftsforum Familie eV welcomed the proposal, but also called for a claim to parental allowance for grandparents who look after their grandchildren. The association also called for a more flexible way for parents to share family work and gainful employment as partners during parental leave.
The Seniors Union had also welcomed the proposal, which had taken up an idea developed by the Seniors Union and experts from the Lower Saxony Ministry of Social Affairs, even if the idea had not been fully implemented. The Seniors Union's proposal stipulated that working grandparents should be able to interrupt their work for a maximum of twelve months in order to raise grandchildren. It should be possible to take time off as an alternative to parental leave or in combination with it and it should be subject to the same financial and legal framework as parental leave. It should be possible to distribute the twelve months over individual time blocks in order to be able to adapt the grandparents' time off to the needs of the parents. The Senior Citizens' Union classified the German government's push for grandparenthood as a step in the right direction.
According to a draft law by Kristina Schröder ( CDU ), all grandparents should have a legal right to professional leave and protection against dismissal, unless they work in a company with fewer than 16 employees. In April 2013, the coalition partner, the FDP , rejected this draft law.
Situation in other countries
In Sweden , any person appointed by the parents is entitled to time off from work to care for the children on certain occasions, if a child is ill, visits to the doctor, starts school or similar situations, and is entitled to temporary parental allowance of 80% of income for up to 120 days per year and child.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Restrained joy. stern.de, January 18, 2008, accessed June 10, 2008 .
- ↑ Timot Szent-Ivanyi: Coalition wants grandparenthood. The regulation valid until 2006 is to be revived . In: Berliner Zeitung , January 18, 2008
- ↑ Grandparenthood for the diversity of families. January 18, 2008, archived from the original on April 15, 2008 ; accessed on September 24, 2015 .
- ↑ Seniors' Union welcomes grandparenthood. (PDF) Seniors Union Lower Saxony, January 18, 2008, accessed on June 10, 2008 .
- ↑ FDP prevents grandparenthood. Süddeutsche Zeitung (online), April 13, 2013, accessed on April 22, 2013 .