In Buenos Aires, a heterogeneous group of opposition lawmakers from various blocs presented a bill to update and expand the regime for parental and paternity leave. The initiative is based on a paradigm of family responsibility in organizing care tasks for births and adoptions, aiming to respond to the social and cultural transformations of recent decades in the world of work.
The most significant change proposed is to extend leave for non-gestating parents to 30 consecutive days from the child's birth—a major leap from the mere two days granted by the outdated Labor Contracts Law of 1974. To ease the transition, the bill includes a clause for the first two years, setting paternity leave at 20 days instead of 30.
Additionally, the bill creates a new 20-day additional shared leave to be divided between both parents, which can be used continuously or intermittently during the newborn's first 12 months. Adoptive parents would also be entitled to 30 consecutive days of leave, starting from the official notification of the adoption ruling. For special cases (multiple births, premature births, neonatal hospitalization, or disability/chronic illness of the newborn), an additional 5-day leave is included.
Another major change is the establishment of parental allowances (for gestating, non-gestating, and adoption) for self-employed and freelance workers, a historically excluded group. Requirements include no outstanding debts with tax authorities and a minimum of 18 months in the system before applying. The bill is grounded in the principles of family responsibility and economic indemnity, guaranteeing dependent workers full salary and social security contributions during their leave. Crucially, funding will shift from employers to the social security system.
The bill seeks to move beyond the old paradigm of 'maternity protection,' which no longer reflects contemporary family dynamics. The new model aims for a more just, inclusive, and efficient social care system that recognizes care as a shared social function and promotes real equality of opportunity.
