El permiso de paternidad y la desigualdad de género: Propuestas de reforma para el caso de España

In the present paper it is proposed the introduction of a reform in the parental paid-leave system of Spain, so that the total equality between maternity and paternity leaves is obtained, as in the case of Germany or Iceland. In particular, it is supported a leave system that consists of not-transferable leaves of maternity and paternity of equal duration, complemented with a parental leave also of the same duration that both previous, with a high level of flexibility in the application of the system, and with an accumulated time-duration of all the leaves not too long. In order to justify this proposal, in this article the main arguments and empirical literature on these subjects are reviewed; it is show the degree of implantation of the paternity leave in Spain in comparison with other countries of the OECD; and, finally, a series of reform proposals are considered, including their possible budgetary costs.