France Delays Launch of New Birth Leave Policy to July 2026

France's new birth leave policy, initially scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, will now be implemented starting July 2026, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Health on December 26, 2025. This delay comes despite earlier assurances from the Minister Delegate for Gender Equality who had promised a swift rollout. The new leave scheme, included in the 2026 Social Security budget and adopted by the National Assembly on December 16, is designed to complement existing maternity and paternity leaves and introduce higher compensation than the current parental leave, which will remain available.

The policy aims to help parents better balance professional and family life, encourage shared parenting responsibilities, and support infant care by parents themselves. Each parent will be entitled to take one or two months of birth leave, allowing for a combined total of up to four months per child. The two-month leave can be split into two separate one-month periods, with detailed rules on this division to be set by decree. Special provisions allow parents of children born or adopted between January and May 2026 an exceptional extension until the end of 2026 to use the leave.

It is important to note, as the Ministry clarified, that single-parent families will not receive doubled leave durations under this policy. The new system complements existing maternity and paternity leaves but represents a higher level of indemnity than the current parental leave framework. This strategy forms part of government efforts to boost birth rates and promote gender equality in parenting roles.