Parents want more time off work to care for their children, especially in the first year of life, according to Gezinsbond's Family Barometer.
More than two-thirds of parents with children aged between 0 and 18 want longer maternity leave, a survey by the Flemish family association Gezinsbond found.
In Belgium, mothers are given 15 weeks of leave, including six weeks of prenatal leave to be taken before the delivery date and a maximum of nine weeks of postnatal leave starting on the day of the baby's birth. For self-employed people, the maximum period is 12 weeks.
Seven in ten Flemish parents with children between 0 and 18 say maternity leave for self-employed people should be increased. Women (78%) are more convinced of this than men (53%). Similarly, 66% are in favour of extending the 15-week maternity leave for employees and civil servants.
Belgium's maternity leave is among the lowest in Europe. Gezinsbond advocates extending the maximum period of leave to 26 weeks.
Leave for both parents
Parents in Belgium are also entitled to birth or parental leave, which can be taken up to the age of 12. They can take up to four months off work for any child under the age of 12 (or up to 21 for children with mental or physical conditions).
That birth leave has gradually increased from 10 to 20 days. However, half of the respondents want to further extend the birth leave. A large majority of parents, both women and men, are also in favour of making it compulsory.
Three in four parents find the financial compensation for this too low or much too low. For full-time leave, parents now receive €915 net. Single parents receive more but even for them the allowance is lower than the minimum wage. Gezinsbond argued the compensation for parental leave must be adequate so that all parents can use it.
"With the financial challenges facing our country, we understand that difficult choices have to be made," said Jeroen Sleurs, general director of the Gezinsbond. "But longer leave around birth does not stand in the way of an 80% employment rate [which the Flemish government is aiming for]."
The association argues that, if Belgium wants to compare itself with the best countries in Europe in terms of employment rates, "the social systems that make it possible must also match those countries".
