On December 1, 2024, during the “Main Broadcast” program on TV “Belarus 1”, correspondent Alina Lappo discussed what she described as the luxurious maternity leave in Belarus compared to European standards.
“What is today commonplace in Belarus in social terms might seem luxurious to many. <...> In Europe, maternity leave is usually no more than a year. For example, in France, it is only four months. The benefits are around €390 monthly. However, considering the high cost of living in France, it's relatively small. By the way, in Spain, there is the same duration of maternity leave. In the UK, it’s 26 weeks and only 6 — in Germany,” Lappo listed.
In Belarus, maternity leave includes the following: for pregnancy and childbirth, and childcare leave for up to three years. This totals approximately 39 months, not 36 because women begin their leave at the 30th week of pregnancy.
While Lappo discussed maternity leave in the European Union, the screen displayed a leave duration similar to the first segment of the Belarusian maternity leave system, which includes the period for prenatal preparation and recovery after childbirth. In Belarus, this lasts a little over four months — the European average. The exception is Bulgaria with the longest maternity leave at 13.5 months.
After that, in European countries, there is also the possibility of taking parental leave to care for a child. Yet the presenter didn’t take this into account for most countries. The total maternity leave, similar to Belarus’s 39 months, is available in Lithuania, Germany, and Slovakia.
However, not all countries offer fully paid extended childcare leave. The average European paid leave is 66 weeks — roughly a year and three months. The longer the leave, the lower the benefit. Most countries provide payments that range from one-third to two-thirds of the mother’s previous earnings. In Belarus, child benefits are among the lowest in Europe, at around €210 per month.
The host also mentioned a bonus given in Finland for the birth of a child, a package of newborn care items. However, she did not clarify that this is not the only assistance but an addition to the existing maternity and childcare payments. Instead of the package, parents can opt for an equivalent money amount of €170.
