Leave for a new baby: of 13 election promises, 5 came true on time
- Norway, Labour: 48 weeks102%
- Norway, Left: 52 weeks94%
- New Zealand: 26 weeks100%
- UK: 39 weeks100%
- UK: 52 weeks75%
- Germany: 12 months100%
- Sweden: 90 days each100%
- Spain: 2 weeks for fathers93%
- Australia: 26 weeks69%
- Korea: 20 days for fathers50%
- Korea: 10 days for fathers30%
- Ireland: 8 weeks25%
- Germany: 2 weeks, partner0%
Leave in law at the deadline, % of the promise
Of 13 election promises, 5 came true on time.
New Zealand, Britain and Sweden gave exactly what was promised. Korea brought in fathers’ leave after the deadline, and Germany had still not introduced two weeks for the second parent by the end of 2025.
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Before elections parties often promise parents longer paid leave. Here are thirteen such promises from nine countries and how much of the promise was in law by the deadline.
A row is one promise: who, what and by when. The question is whether at least half came true. Answer Yes or No, or just open the answer: each row gets its outcome and what actually came of it, the card a stamp counting those that came true. Quotes and links to the facts are below.
- Norway, Labour: 48 weeks — Norwegian Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet), 2009 weeks of parental benefit at 100% (at year end)
promised 48 by 2013; fact 49 (102%). From 1 July 2013 the leave was 49 weeks at 100% pay, a week more than promised.
- New Zealand: 26 weeks — New Zealand Labour Party (Jacinda Ardern), 2017 weeks of paid parental leave (maximum)
promised 26 by 2020; fact 26 (100%). From July 2020 paid parental leave was up to 26 weeks.
Inland Revenue (IRD), Best Start / paid parental leave pages (archived 2018 and September 2020)
- UK: 39 weeks — Labour Party (Tony Blair), 2005 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay
promised 39 by 2007; fact 39 (100%). For women due on or after 1 April 2007 the maternity pay period is 39 weeks (previously 26).
- Germany: 12 months — Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), 2005 months of Elterngeld for one parent (plus two partner months)
promised 12 by 2009; fact 12 (100%). From 2007 Elterngeld replaced Erziehungsgeld: 67% of prior earnings for up to 12 months (14 with partner months).
- Sweden: 90 days each — Swedish Social Democratic Party, 2014 days that cannot be transferred to the other parent
promised 90 by 2018; fact 90 (100%). From 1 January 2016, 90 days instead of 60 were reserved for each parent.
- Norway, Left: 52 weeks — Socialist Left Party of Norway (SV), 2009 weeks of parental benefit at 100% (at year end)
promised 52 by 2013; fact 49 (94%). By the end of 2013 leave at 100% pay was 49 weeks against the promised 52 (94%).
- Spain: 2 weeks for fathers — Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), 2004 days of paid paternity leave (on top of the two-day birth leave)
promised 14 by 2008; fact 13 (93%). Paternity leave was introduced in 2007, but for 13 days rather than 14; four weeks came only in 2017.
- UK: 52 weeks — Labour Party (Tony Blair), 2005 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay
promised 52 by 2010; fact 39 (75%). By the 2010 election the pay period was still 39 weeks, as it was in 2024.
- Australia: 26 weeks — Liberal-National Coalition (Tony Abbott), 2013 weeks of Parental Leave Pay (maximum)
promised 26 by 2015; fact 18 (69%). In December 2015 Parental Leave Pay was paid for up to 18 weeks at the minimum wage ($657 a week).
Department of Human Services (Centrelink), Parental Leave Pay page (archived 2014, 2015, 2017)
- Korea: 20 days for fathers — Yoon Suk Yeol, 2022 paid days of spouse's childbirth leave (by law)
promised 20 by 2023; fact 10 (50%). In 2023 the leave was still 10 days; 20 paid days since 23 February 2025.
- Korea: 10 days for fathers — Moon Jae-in, 2017 paid days
promised 10 by 2018; fact 3 (30%). Ten paid days came in on 1 October 2019, a year after the target; in 2018 it was still 3 paid days.
Министерство занятости и труда Кореи, пресс-релиз 30.09.2019
- Ireland: 8 weeks — Fine Gael (Enda Kenny), 2016 weeks of Parent’s Benefit per parent
promised 8 by 2020; fact 2 (25%). Parent’s Benefit was 2 weeks per parent in 2020; 5 weeks from April 2021 and 9 weeks from 1 August 2024.
- Germany: 2 weeks, partner — SPD, 2021 days of statutory paid leave for the second parent right after birth
promised 14 by 2025; fact 0 (0%). By the end of 2025 there was no such leave in law: the Familienstartzeit bill was not passed.
Promises: verbatim from parties’ and candidates’ election programmes. Fact: laws and welfare agency pages on the length of leave and pay at the deadline; each row links its source on the back. Outcome: «came true» — the promised number reached by the deadline («about» within 5%), an event happened before the end of the year promised; «exceeded» — with room to spare; «nearly» — short by no more than 10%; «late» — reached, but after the deadline; «did not come true» — not reached; «came true, then undone» — reached, then reversed. The deadline is the end of the year named.
The leaves differ: in some places all parental leave, in others only the father’s part or maternity pay. The deadline is the end of the parliament in which the promise was made. Some promises came true later: Korea gave fathers 10 days from October 2019 and 20 days from February 2025, Ireland 9 weeks per parent from August 2024.
A question for this picture
What does it take for promised leave to be in law by the end of the term rather than ten years later?