He is over 30 years old, resides in the North, works for medium-large enterprises with a stable employment contract, and earns a medium-high salary. This is the depiction of the paternity leave-taking father that arises from the analysis of newly released INPS data by Save the Children on March 19, in time for Father's Day. If women are still forced to give up their professions or even their employment because the weight of care is frequently a hindrance to their professional life, something in the world of fatherhood is changing, and even continually. Despite the persistent gender disparity in childcare responsibilities between the sexes, the proportion of fathers utilizing paternity leave increased by more than threefold from 2013 to 2022, according to available data. In 2013, just under one-fifth of fathers took it (equal to 19.25%), or 51,745 fathers, whereas in 2022, they were more than three out of five (equal to 64.02%), or 172,797 fathers, with little difference depending on whether they are parents of their first (65.88%), second, or subsequent child (62.08%). Paternity leave was introduced in 2012 with only one mandatory day and two optional days, but it now guarantees 10 mandatory days and one optional day for new fathers, which can be used between two months before and five months after birth. However, there are significant variances in the utilization of paternity leave, which varies by age, contract type, firm size, income, and location of residence. Although the usage of this right to abstain from employment is increasing throughout Italy, the majority of individuals who use it live in the northern regions, while the percentage is lower in the southern provinces. Usage values below 30% are found in the provinces of Crotone (24%), Trapani (27%), Agrigento and Vibo Valentia (29% in both provinces), while values above 80% (the highest) are recorded in the provinces of Bergamo and Lecco (81% in both cases), Treviso (82%), Vicenza (83%) and Pordenone (85%).
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