VICTOR LACOMBE
For a country just a few months away from a national election, with a volatile foreign policy situation following the election of Donald Trump and an ongoing war on the continent itself, one would imagine that a controversial statement from a political figure in Germany capable of generating discussions in the press and on the networks were related to any of these topics — and not to plans for the birth of a child.
But the announcement by the president of the Liberal Party, Christian Lindner, that he does not intend to take paternity leave when his wife, Franca Lehfeldt, gives birth in the coming months has moved opinions. Some saw little regard for the politician in the fair division of tasks between fathers and mothers, while others considered the reaction a tempest in a teapot from the press or, for supporters, a selfless attitude from a public servant.
“That’s not a possibility in my work,” Lindner said in an interview when talking about the topic. At the same time, the politician pointed out that “family is the most important thing, and it is my priority”, saying that he will plan to have some free time.
In response to the speech, an important magazine in the country published an opinion article this Friday (13), in which the author accuses Lindner, 45, of setting a bad example for the nation. With the title “Christian Lindner doesn’t know what equal fatherhood is”, fatherhood writer and influencer Sebastian Tigges said the liberal politician propagates the antiquated idea that only men without a steady job have time to care for children. “It’s not just nonsense, it’s reactionary,” he wrote.
A report in the daily newspaper Zeit Online interviewed a couples therapist who saw in the attitude of Lindner, a businessman with an estimated fortune of EUR 5.5 million, a reflection of German society’s perception of the role of men in raising children. “When he brings the money home, he is freed from any obligations,” even when the woman also works and is forced to leave, said Tara Christopeit.
Other voices in the press and on the networks also lamented a lost opportunity: Lindner could have sent a signal that even politicians at the top of their careers can share household chores. “The fact that Lindner seems to think he is not responsible for the care of the newborn, or thinks he is indispensable at work, is a direct reflection of our society,” obstetrician Mandy Mangler told the Tagesspiegel newspaper.
Lindner supporters, on the other hand, defended the politician on social media. “German law does not provide for paternity leave for members of Parliament. So the ad is no big deal,” said one user in response to the Zeit article.
Franca Lehfeldt, 35, is also a successful businesswoman and will probably not feel the loss in her pocket when she takes time off from work. But the vast majority of German women have to deal with the fact that Germany is one of the countries with the shortest maternity leave in the European Union: mothers are entitled to 14 weeks of leave, divided into six weeks before and eight after giving birth.
Countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Ireland have periods ranging from 16 to 26 weeks, according to data from the European Parliament. In Brazil, maternity leave is 120 days, or around 17 weeks.
Paternity leave in Germany is at least two weeks, in line with the EU average. On the other hand, German couples are entitled to up to 14 months of financial assistance covering 60% of their salary (with a ceiling of EUR 1800, or R$11 thousand) if they wish to stay away from work for longer.
The controversy over paternity leave does not help Lindner’s efforts at this time to prevent his party from being left out of Parliament. With general elections scheduled for February, the politician faces the possibility that the Liberal Party (FDP, its acronym in German), which has never had broad support in the country, will fall to less than 5% of the votes and will not exceed the barrier clause for enter the Bundestag.
The FDP was the pivot of the political crisis that overthrew Olaf Scholz’s government and brought forward the elections. An investigative report by Zeit revealed that the party, under Lindner’s command, acted to undermine the governing coalition’s ability to remain in power and prepared a strategy to precipitate the government’s collapse and try to come out ahead in an eventual election race.
