Mexico's PRI proposes extending paternity leave to 20 days

Lawmakers from Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) have introduced a proposal to significantly extend paternity leave. The initiative seeks to increase paid paternity leave from the current five working days to 20, aiming to foster greater family co-responsibility and ensure fathers actively participate in raising their children from birth.

The PRI parliamentary group argues that the existing five-day limit is inadequate, falling short of constitutional standards and failing to reflect contemporary family realities. They contend that the brevity of the current leave sends a message that a father's role is merely temporary and secondary during a critical developmental stage for families.

“

the limitation of paternity leave to only five days sends the wrong message, as it reduces the father's role to temporary and secondary accompaniment during one of the most important stages for the development of families.

To support their proposal, legislators referenced a Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) ruling, which established that parental responsibilities after birth or adoption require an equitable distribution of care tasks. The court had previously deemed a 10-day leave insufficient for a father's effective participation in caring for the birthing parent and newborn.

“

the birth or adoption of a child generates parental responsibilities that require an equitable distribution of care tasks.

The initiative also draws on international comparisons. Several Latin American countries like Colombia, Paraguay, and Venezuela offer 14 days of paternity leave, while Uruguay provides 13. In Europe, Spain recently extended parental leave to 19 weeks per parent, and Sweden and Iceland have more extensive shared or individual parental leave schemes.

Proponents emphasize that active fatherhood yields positive outcomes for children's emotional, psychological, physical, and cognitive development. It also benefits mothers, strengthens family bonds, and promotes a more equitable division of household responsibilities.

“

the country's highest court considered a 10-day leave insufficient to guarantee the father's effective participation in caring for the pregnant person and the newborn.