The Minister for Children Roderic O'Gorman has announced parental leave will be extended to nine weeks.
The Minister confirmed the extension would apply for both mothers and fathers, according to the Irish Examiner, stressing the need for a change in mindset regarding the care of children and how it is divided between parents.
Mr O'Gorman told the Examiner there is a "societal element" to this, adding fathers need to become more involved in the responsibility of caring for their children, particularly in their younger years.
Paid leave is currently offered for two weeks having been introduced in 2019, but it set to increase to five weeks as part of next year's budget, with parents of babies born since November 2019 qualifying for the extended leave.
The Minister is expected to bring forward a bill to adopt the further increases some time in the next two weeks, however, the entitlement may not be available until April while the Department of Social Protection updates their IT database.
Mr O'Gorman said the extended leave from early 2021 when the bill passes and the payment will be applied retrospectively.
According to the Examiner, 92 per cent of women take parental leave, compared to just 50 per cent of men. The number of people availing of the two-week leave also varies between sectors and company size.
