Overview
- The congé de naissance, which took effect on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, gives each eligible parent the right to one or two months of additional leave to be taken within nine months of a child’s arrival.
- The benefit is paid at 70% of net salary for the first month and 60% for the second, creating a clear potential loss of income for families who use the full allowance.
- A late implementing decree published on 31 May left employers and early users scrambling to organise leave, prompting the government to announce transitional flexibilities including longer start windows and exceptional permission to combine the leave indemnity with the CMG childcare subsidy.
- Feminist groups say the pay levels make it likely the lower-earning partner—often the mother—will take the leave, which critics argue risks entrenching gendered caregiving rather than promoting equality.
- Many large companies already offer more generous fully paid parental leave, so uptake and impact will vary by workplace and household finances, and the policy’s wider effect will depend on whether lower-paid workers can afford to use it.