In a significant move towards equality, a regional court in Murcia, Spain, recently ruled that single parents can now claim the same total amount of paid parental leave as couples. This landmark ruling stems from a November decision by Spain's constitutional court, which deemed it discriminatory for single-parent families to receive less support than those with two parents.
The constitutional court emphasized that “the duration and intensity of the need for care and attention of a newborn is the same regardless of the family model into which they were born,” reinforcing the idea that all families deserve equal support. Following this ruling, the regional court in Murcia concluded that solo parents could request the full allocation of parental leave available to couples: six weeks of mandatory leave to be taken simultaneously, along with an additional ten weeks for each parent. This translates to a total of 32 weeks of paid leave for a single parent juggling both parental roles.
Carla Vall, a lawyer specializing in gender issues based in Barcelona, indicated that this ruling could inspire similar decisions across Spain, allowing new parents in other regions to advocate for equal rights in parental leave based on this court's interpretation. “Now this doctrine means that the rest of the courts are going to adopt this reading of rights,” she noted in a recent interview.
Pablo Bustinduy, the social rights minister, hailed the decision as a breakthrough for advocacy groups, calling it "excellent news and a victory for civil society after years of struggle and demands." This ruling not only recognizes the realities faced by single parents but also sets a new standard in the ongoing fight for family rights in Spain.
