More than a third of German families depend on the help of grandparents. The German Government therefore considers introducing a legislation for "grandparental leave" intended for working grandparents who want to take care of their grandchildren, Der Speigel magazine reported.
Family Minister Kristina Schroeder wants to give families the possibility to organize their time as it best suits for them. Her plan for the grandparental leave (Grosselternzeit) is based on the same principle as parental leave for parents. The parents in Germany are entitled to parental leave choice for any three years from birth to eight years of their children when they will receive support from the state. While there are no plans to reimburse grandparents at the moment, the state wants to guarantee them the right to return to the job they left due to take care of grandchildren.
Critics of the plan talk about the state trying to get rid of its responsibility and the need to invest in child care. Nurseries in Germany guarantee the care for children from three to six years, the demand for care for children under three years so outstrips supply. Corinna Onnen, professor of sociology at the University of Vechta, told Speigel that the grandparents who would be likely to take advantage of the proposed grandparental leave would be those without advanced education or qualification. They receive low wages, they have a very low chance of career advancement and they do not like their colleagues, so they basically have nothing to lose.
Parents have mixed feelings, too. Those addressed by Speigel see more possibilities for grandparents to take care for grandchildren as anadvantage. However, if the grandparents are not considered to be paid for it, it will rather be a step back according to them.
-kk-