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OVER 10,640 FATHERS have availed of paternity leave in Ireland since it was introduced last September.
The benefit scheme allows fathers to take two weeks off work to help care for their newborns, while receiving a payment of €235 per week.
Dublin had the highest number of recipients (2,918), followed by Cork (1,359) and Galway (623).
On the other end of the scale Leitrim had the lowest number of fathers availing (77), followed by Longford (90) and Carlow (126).
Here’s the full breakdown of paternity benefit recipients, in each county, from last September to March.
(Click here for a larger image of the above table)
Paternity benefit has the same qualifying PRSI conditionality as maternity benefit. It is only payable to employees and self-employed people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. Paid maternity leave of 26 weeks is offered to mothers.
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It’s difficult enough for a new mother to be looking after her newborn without the added burden of having to bring cans of beer to her husband in front of the telly.
@Ian Moloney: stereotype much? We’re not all fumbling idiots as you portray. Some of us try to be parents.
@Philip King: Humor Philip.
@Philip King: Something tells me it was a joke.
@Philip King: I’d say you’re a great laugh Philip
@Ian Moloney: World Cup is 13 months – the lads have their plan in place already no doubt
@Philip King: yea and some of us know how to take a joke
Well when the mother of your child is also on maternity leave and you are the main breadwinner now, it’s kind of hard to live off €235 a week instead of a usual wage. So it’s off out the door for dad while daughter eats solids,rolls around and starts crawling.
@An Observer: try living off 188 Euro for the last 19 years. There’s no jobs for myself grand for the daddy’s to have a job to go while I have to wait for someone to give me a job.
Jesus Christ was I having a pop at you? Can’t say anything on here nowadays and people get offended.
@Free comment ratings: 19 years disgraceful. So you’re waiting for someone to give you a job? There is your problem right there.
@Free comment ratings: I think thats sarcasm.
@Paul P O’Sullivan: i think Observer and Free Comment Rating share a child… don’t be airing your dirty laundry on TheJoural
@Free comment ratings: Try living on €19 per week in a direct provision accommodation Centre. Swap for €188?
@Ian Moloney: With free bed and board too.
@Ian Moloney: sorry to hear about your circumstances.
@An Observer: calm down, I wasn’t having a pop. I just saying my part. Baha relax buddy
@Michelle_Herbert: any suggestions? I’ve given out my CVS.
@Free comment ratings: plenty of suggestions but I doubt you haven’t heard them before….clearly your happy in your situation…career dolelite. So wrong
So because I’ve a job I shouldn’t be complaining is it?
@Free comment ratings: If you are actively looking for employment and employers aren’t biting there’s obviously something wrong somewhere? I don’t know where obviously, maybe your cv isn’t up to scratch?
Have you tried employment agencies? I know they can be shocking, but even if you got a day here and there it gives you a better chance of full time employment when you are already working at some capacity.
Best of luck to you anyway. Don’t give up.
@Aaron Gibson: I suspect he or she is having a bit of fun with us all.
@Free comment ratings: you are a disgrace, nothing more nothing less
@Dave Murray: aka rent allowance.
@Ian Moloney: try living in eastern aleppo
Very hard to expect someone to live on €235 a week. Some big companies will make up the difference though. Which is only right imo
@Teddyzigzagbigbag: ALL companies should be making up the difference. it’s 2 weeks of the year, once a year max, probably on average twice in a life time.
What I really want is the ability for the couple to decide who takes the the leave. Should be allowed to split it up.
Gone from the days of the Catholic Church wanting you to have children in wedlock to companies not wanting you having children at all…
@Stuart: average size of family with kids in Ireland is 4 kids according to census. surprising as that is. so average for paternity leave would be 4 times.
@Teddyzigzagbigbag: so a company should pay for your sex life?
@Teddyzigzagbigbag:
You are correct and if this Government have its way that is what coming down the road for a lot of workers. This is what privatisation will do the recent bus drivers strike is the perfect example at what Shane Ross and his cronies are up to.The Government want to yellow pack this Country.
Surly this is sexist and discrimination on all new father’s. New mothers are entitled to 26 weeks paid paternity, but new fathers are only entitled to 2 weeks. Surly in this day and age if a father wants to take the 26 weeks as well he should be allowed and paid the same as the mother through the prsi system…. Yet again double standards and if it was the other way around the feminists would have heads on spikes and blood on the streets
@Jamie Jj Tobin: Ya Jamie, you won’t have the feminists fighting for “equality” there. I mean, they say they want equality for both sexis but I don’t see them campaigning for things like this when it is the men that are losing out. A lot of cherry picking going on.
@BoneyM: that has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever read. Can you really not think of a reason why the mother might need more time off? You know apart from the fact that she just had a baby and is that babies food source. I agree two weeks is not enough but surely you can see that it’s not the same thing. Fathers are absolutely vital, I’m not denying that or belittling the role in parenting at all but surely you can say that from a physical point of view they are not equal roles
@Dave O Keeffe: Sorry dave I’m not sure what way you picked up my comment that it bothered you so much. I’m not saying a woman doesn’t need the 26 weeks, just pointing out that you won’t see the feminists campaigning the men get the same or even just longer leave. We all know how a mother is important to a child but men are too which we can agree on. Men being off would also help the mother as it is hard doing it on your own with the father gone all day. In my situation, my misses didn’t breast feed so once she was physically recovered from the birth, it didn’t matter to us which one of us fed our child or changed his nappy etc. We both felt that the difference in maternity was very unfair and believe that the option should be there for couples to share maternity any way the feel fit.
@Dave O Keeffe: Of course, you would still have the option of taking two weeks and letting herself take the 26 if that suits you but in this day and age people should be able determine whats best for them as parents and I don’t think sex should be the only factor
people get on average four weeks holidays a year, thats plenty for this nonsense.
@BoneyM: so it’s femini
@jackmurphy: so it’s feminists fault that men don’t campaign for equal paternity rights? Or do you just want to blame feminists for everything and do sweet fa for men who want more paternity rights?
@Deborah Behan: I was just responding to Jamie’s comment about feminists. Nobody’s blaming them for anything, just an observation
@BoneyM: the point you’re missing is that it’s not an equality issue as they do not perform equal roles in the birth.
@Dave O Keeffe: No I’m not missing the point, women don’t get maternity to just recover from the birth, they get it to look after their child.
@Jamie Jj Tobin: Why would a man need 26 weeks off to recover from childbirth!
@BoneyM: Actually you will see feminists campaign for greater fathers rights. I know many that do. Including myself. The more men that avail of paternity leave and are involved in the care of their kids the more equal women become in the work place. One, it spreads the responsibility of the children across both parents and two, it becomes much harder to overlook women for promotions or career progression when men are also taking long paternity leave or taking time off here and there to take kids to appointments etc.
@DaisyChainsaw: You are not very intelligent are you now, men believe it or not don’t give birth to children. If you had to of stayed in school till your junior cert you would of learned that. Now a father who would like to stay at home for a longer period of time to care for and help mother and baby would be nice i think, would you not?
I can’t find anything else to be offended about here. Think ye all have it covered.
I’d love to see a minimum of 4 weeks fully paid paternity leave to be taken at any time in the baby’s first year. This payment is just the start, I hope. C’mon lads, start campaigning.
It should be equal and your normal wage covered
Who picks up the slack in the office? Employees should revolt.
@6ljJQRRU: now that is a discussion worth having. endless discrimination against people who have to accommodate this nonsense
Shows me the massive divide economically between the cities and the rest. Dublin, cork and Galway make up 50 percent.
@Adrian: No it doesn’t, this is just a list of where people live, Dublin Cork and Galway are where about half the people live in this country.
Why try to make it a city vs country thing?
Okay…. So of that total figure how many people became fathers in each county? Let’s make the figures real???
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