Since the beginning of the year, Germany has seen a leap in the number of fathers who take time off to stay home with their young children. The reason: a sweeping change in how parents are paid for what Germans refer to as the “babypause,” or parental leave.

In January, Germany changed its parental-leave laws to give new parents 67 percent of their salary for up to 12 months or up to 14 months if at least two months of the “pause” is taken by the father…

Last year, just 3.5 percent of fathers across Germany took paid leave after their children were born. Today, that number is up to 8.5 percent…

At 8.5 births per 1,000 inhabitants, Germany has the lowest birth rate in Europe. Many observers believe this will only change when attitudes and policies become friendlier toward working parents…

But birth rates and economic improvement is not as important as the effect such a change could have on German society, Papa Institute’s Schaefer says.

He points out that studies have shown that fathers who spend time with their infants continue to spend more time with them as they grow up “which could only be seen as a positive.” …

Source: Deutsche Welle
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2740146,00.html