With the end of the baby check as of January 1, 2011, it seems that the possibilities of reconciling work and family life are further reduced in Spain, one of the countries with the lowest birth rate. One of the solutions proposed with the most supporters in recent months seems to be that of ‘ maternal salary ‘.
The measure would consist of granting monthly economic aid to those women who decide to have children, in order to avoid one of the main reasons why couples, especially the youngest, give up the idea of starting a family, for fear that the woman will lose her job or not be able to get it back, or even because she is unable to reconcile work and family life.
At present there are still many women who suffer discrimination at work for this reason. Employers are very reticent when it comes to hiring women, especially at certain ages, since maternity leave supposes an expense for the company that it would not have with a man, a reasoning that ends up having an impact on the rates of female unemployment.
In the long term, the effects of this trend, derived from the incorporation of women to work, can be fatal for the population, not only in Spain but throughout Europe, which has extremely low birth rates.
Measures for the work-life balance of women
The measures that the European Union is proposing include an extension of maternity leave from 14 to 20 weeks with full salary, a proposal that was rejected last December. Spain was one of the countries moderately favorable to the measure, since currently the deadlines dictated by law are 16 weeks, and two for the father, but it is seen as unfeasible in the current context due to the economic crisis.
Therefore, while waiting for the maternity wage measure to be approved as a way to promote the birth rate, governments are making an effort to promote responsibility sharing to raise children, to eliminate layoffs for pregnant women, flexible hours and reduced working hours.
Another of the measures with increasing implementation is ‘teleworking’, that is, working from home. Thanks to new technologies, today there are many professions for which it is not necessary to physically go to the workplace to perform it, thus ensuring that mothers stay in the care of their children, which not only favors their family development, but also means for parents, significant savings in childcare or babysitters.
