Another question! Maternity Leave in France?

[flyingcloud]

Hi there,

I work for an English company but have a French contract so they are as confused about this as I am.

Doctor told me that ten weeks (four before due date and six after) are the legal minimum. Of the small number of friends I have who work and have small children they went back to work within three months. This seems shockingly little to my English friends (but this is my first and I have a great job so I'm planning on going back within 3 months anyway).

Does anyone know what one is entitled to and what is normal procedure here? Do women go back to work earlier because childcare is cheaper/easier to come by?

Thanks for help and advice.

It's 16 wks, 6 before & 10 after the birth in theory, but if you work longer prior to the birth you can add the extra weeks you haven't used up on to the post-natal bit, IYSWIM.

I think women go back to work soon because paid maternity leave is so short & other options (parental leave, etc.) not v flexible.

Am typing one-handed, so succinctly.

Check here for more info

Thank you AuldAlliance - big help.

Just to add about women going back to work earlier - my impression was that most needed the money more, though I'm from NZ where they only brought in 12 weeks maternity leave a few years ago, so 16 weeks seems a lot to me. And then childcare is so highly subsidised it does make it easier.

Are you aware of the parental leave option? Not sure how it goes with your contract situation, but normally you should be entitled to 6 months for your first child, with a benefit of about 500 euros a month. Info is on the CAF site (caisse des allocations familiales).

Thanks Weta. That's a big help too. I'm planning on going back pretty quickly anyway, much as I would love to stay at home. I will next have to tackle child care options...