In Switzerland, there are laws that ensure employees have a minimum of 14 weeks of maternity leave and 2 weeks of paternity leave. This minimum duration cannot be shortened, but some regions can extend it. The Canton of Geneva has already increased maternity leave to 16 weeks, and now they have gone a step further. A majority of 58% of voters in Geneva have approved an additional 8 weeks of parental leave.
The term "parental leave" is used because it doesn't specify which parent will take the extra 8 weeks of paid time off to take care of the new baby. The purpose of parental leave is to support all types of families, regardless of the parents' sexual orientation or if the child is adopted. The only requirement is that if one parent has received maternity benefits, the other parent must take at least 6 weeks of the additional leave. This means that a maximum of 2 weeks can be added to theexisting 16-week maternity leave or up to 8 weeks can be added to the 2-week paternity leave.
The cost of compensating for parental leave will be shared equally between employers and employees. It is estimated that there will be a small increase of approximately 0.05% in wage deductions under social security laws to cover the cost of this extended leave, according to the proponents of the new law.