In an effort to tackle the low birth rate in Greece, its Prime Minster, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, announced a series of reforms and measures that aim to improve maternity leave and benefits in the country.
Before the measures were announced, the duration of leave a new mother received was dependant upon whether or not the mother worked in the public sector, private sector or was self-employed.
Specifically, new mothers from the public sector were entitled to nine months of paid maternity leave, six months if they originated from the private sector and a mere three and a half months for self-employed females.
According to the Prime Minister’s statements on TikTok, Greece’s new measures will elevate its ranking for maternity leave to second place among OECD countries.
Now, regardless of a mother’s place of work, she will be entitled to nine months of paid maternity leave at 1,000 euros per month.
She will also receive additional economic support in the form of a one-off payment ranging between 2,400 to 3,500 euros (the lower end of the stipend was previously 2,000 euros).
The measures will take effect retroactively with the one-off financial support payment kicking in for new mothers as of January 1, 2023 and monthly maternity leave support as of September 24, 2023.
To be entitled to support, new parents must apply at https://parentalbenefits.dypa.gov.gr.
Greece is ranked among the most aging countries in European Union, as more than one out of five persons in the country are over 65 years of age, and it also has one of the lower birth rates in Europe.
While the support measures are clearly welcome, experts have previously noted that maternity leave is just one of the many challenges new parents face, which also include the operation of properly functioning and affordable daycare centers, friendlier working conditions for new parents and paternal support measures, to name a few.
