Left-wing bloc pushes for a full year of 100% paid leave for single parents

Bloco de Esquerda has submitted an amendment to the citizen-initiated parental-leave bill, calling for a twelve-month initial leave paid at 100% of salary for single-parent families. The broader proposal seeks to extend the standard initial leave to 180 days, also at full pay, without requiring a division between parents. All parties have until Friday to propose changes before the measure is debated in detail on Wednesday.

The governing PSD presented a counter-proposal in August that would keep single-parent families out of the six-month extension. The government wants any extension beyond six months to depend on an equal split between the two parents, citing concerns about “perverse effects” for women, according to the labour minister. Livre’s amendment mirrors the citizen initiative’s 180-day increase and adds extra paid days if each parent takes at least 90 days, while also granting single parents an additional 60 days, bringing their total to eight months of full-pay leave. These competing drafts illustrate the ongoing debate over gender equity and support for lone parents in Portugal’s family-policy reforms.