Overview
Since family life changes accordingly to the movement of gender equity mothers are more encouraged to work and fathers spend more time at home with the children. However, it is often diffucult to find the right balance between work and life. Therefore, this page will give you ideas where you can find information related on family affairs and childcare service.
- Family affairs
- Childcare service
- Support for mothers
- Support for fathers
Contact: gender@tr32.de
Family affairs
The state of Germany supports families with a variety of financial aid, tax beaks and counselling services. Particularly the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (German: Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend) is reponsible for financial aid and reconciliation of work and family life.
Some important political areas affecting financial aid and labour legislations are:
- Maternity protection (German: Mutterschutz) protects the mother against dismissal and against a temporary cut in income. Furthermore, it protects the health of mother and child against hazards at the workplace.
- Paid parental leave (German: Elterngeld) is an employee benefit that provides paid time off work to care for a child. The parents are encouraged to take up to 14 months of parental leave. During that time they get financial support from state, which equals 65% of last income, but not more than 1800 EUR per month.
- Unpaid parental leave (German: Elternzeit) is an employee benefit that provides unpaid time off work (up to 3 years) to care for a child.
- Child benefit (German: Kindergeld) is a social security payment disbursed to the parents. The state supports each child with at least 184 EUR per month.
- Advance Payment of Maintenance (German: Unterhaltsvorschuss) guarantees a minimum maintenance for children under the age of 12 living in a single parent household. Maintenance benefit is up to a maximum of 133 EUR per months for children of younger than 6 years and up to 180 EUR per months for childen younger than 12 years.
Childcare service
Since 1996 children from 3 years to the age of starting school have the legal right to attend childcare (§24 SGB VIII) in Germany and by 1st August 2013 the legal right for childcare service is extended for children younger than 3 years (KiföG).
Several types of childcare services are available in the region of Aachen, Bonn, Cologne and Jülich and will be briefly introduced on this web page. Cost of childcare service are shown for public child care (kindergarten), this costs are baselines for the costs for child minder and private child care.
| Aachen | Bonn | Cologne | Jülich | ||
| Public child care | |||||
| Costs | Costs in Bonn | Costs in Cologne | |||
| Child Minder | Tagesbetreuung | Netzwerk | Authority | FZ Jülich | |
| In case of emergency | Local authority | University of Bonn |
Support for mothers
The Federal Foundation Mother and Child (German: Bundesstiftung Mutter und Kind) supports pregnants, if unemployment or social welfare benefits are not paid. It also provides pregnant women with support and counselling via local pregnancy information centres.
After birth the Nüsslein-Volhard-Stiftung supports young talented women with children to continue their scientific careers.
