Close the Gap: NWC demands better leave for parents

Published: Wednesday, March 04, 2026

At a rally at the Dáil today (4 March), the National Women’s Council (NWC) called for better-paid and more family leave. Ahead of International Women’s Day, NWC say maternity, paternity, adoptive, and parent’s benefit must be linked to income, and it should be expanded to cover at least the first year of a child’s life. Ireland is unique in the EU as the only country that does not link family leave to income.

Launching a new booklet on Family Leave in Ireland, NWC Executive Director Corrinne Hasson said:

“Families in Ireland deserve better than this. Many cannot afford to take their full entitlements because it amounts to less than half the minimum wage for a week’s work. Some women receive top-ups from their employers, but this is less likely in low-paid or precarious work. It’s not acceptable that there is this variation between women, the State should be guaranteeing a decent level of income for every new parent.”

Research has shown that not linking family leave to earnings results in lower take-up rates, particularly of paternity leave. Currently, just 53% of new fathers take paternity leave, and only 26% take parents’ leave. This reinforces a system whereby women in Ireland still carry out twice as much care as men.

The first year of a child’s life is crucial. In the new booklet, NWC calls for family leave to be expanded to cover at least this year; for family leave to be paid at an adequate rate. NWC also reiterates its long-standing call for public childcare. This should kick in from at least age one to close the care gap between family leave and the beginning of early years education and care.

Donal Swan, Senior Policy Coordinator at NWC, said:

“It’s a long stretch between the end of paid family leave, at 46 weeks, and starting primary education at 4 or 5. With no guarantee of a place in early years education many parents are left unsupported during this period. Women are much more likely to take unpaid time off or move into part-time employment to plug this gap. This has long-term consequences for women’s education, careers, and pensions. It’s high time that when family leave ends, accessible and affordable childcare kicks in.”

Corrinne Hasson continued

“We’ve seen huge public investment in the childcare sector over the past number of years, but parents are still struggling to find a place, and to pay for it. Government needs to transition to a public model; it is the only model that can deliver affordability and suitability for every child in the country.”

Find here NWC’s information booklet on family leave across the EU

Read the family leave booklet here