NGO Anima: If we truly strive for gender equality, it is necessary to introduce a model that encourages longer paternity leave

Although presented as a step towards equal parenthood, the adopted amendments to the Labor Law actually reproduce the sexual and gender-based hierarchical division of labor and reinforce existing inequalities in the sphere of care, according to the non-governmental organization (NGO) Anima - Center for Women's and Peace Education.

"These solutions are based on the assumption that care is primarily a female responsibility, while the role of fathers is limited and symbolically included. This does not transform existing relationships, but merely adapts the existing order without a substantial redistribution of power and responsibility. The introduction of two months of non-transferable leave for fathers, presented as progress, actually sets an upper limit on their participation, instead of systematically encouraging and expanding it. In this way, the state not only fails to question the patriarchal division of labor, but actively reproduces it through the legal framework," the NGO said in a statement.

As they point out, women remain the primary bearers of unpaid and underpaid care work, which has direct consequences for their economic autonomy, professional opportunities, and long-term social security.

"Instead of the state taking responsibility for the redistribution of care, it continues to privatize it within the family, relying on the invisible work of women. This law also produces a restrictive model of fatherhood – it does not recognize fathers as equal caretakers, but assigns them a limited, secondary and time-controlled role. This not only limits women, but also men who want to participate in parenting outside of traditional norms. The rhetoric of 'choice' and 'equality', without substantial adequately paid, longer and non-transferable leave for fathers, as well as without broader institutional support, we are talking about the illusion of choice, not real equality," the Anime statement reads.

The NGO says that if the state truly strives for gender equality, it is necessary to introduce a model that encourages longer paternity leave and broader institutional support, rather than a private burden.

"Equal parenting is not a symbolic issue or a new idea - it is a requirement that this law still does not meet," the statement concludes.