Andorra Advances Equal Birth Leave on International Women's Day

Andorra's government has centered this year's International Women's Day celebrations on promoting equality in childcare and caregiving, coinciding with the anticipated approval of equal birth leave legislation by the General Council in the coming weeks.

Secretary of State for Equality and Citizen Participation, Mariona Cadena, outlined the programme ahead of 8 March. A key update in the final bill, compared to the government's initial proposal presented in September 2024, includes retroactivity for the second parent's leave for children born from 1 January 2026 until the law takes effect. This raises the leave from four to six weeks in 2026, ensuring equal conditions for all births that year, and sets the stage for a gradual increase to 20 weeks per parent.

Cadena described the changes as a significant advance toward gender equality, representing a deep cultural shift that views childcare as a shared responsibility. The measures aim to bolster family bonds, foster genuine co-responsibility, ease structural inequalities primarily affecting women, centre child welfare, and enhance equal employment opportunities. She noted the 20-week target is ambitious yet vital, with the phased approach allowing businesses and society to adjust for sustainability.

The legislation mandates awareness campaigns on true co-responsibility in childcare. Events feature three storytelling sessions titled *Guapa* on 3 March at 6pm in Escaldes-Engordany's community hall, addressing aesthetic pressures on girls at increasingly young ages, such as early use of creams and makeup. On 5 March at 6.30pm in Andorra la Vella's Congress Centre, a screening of the 2025 Goya-nominated short film *Cuarentena* by Celia de Molina will be followed by a roundtable with women's associations and equality professionals. The session will explore maternity's physical, emotional, social, and professional impacts, alongside reconciliation and shared childcare.

Public administration employees will receive purple ribbons, while roadside panels will display the slogan "8M: som totes" under the four-year equality programme.

Cadena reported that roughly 80% of companies now have effective equality plans. The department is providing tailored guidance to the remaining 20% to go beyond formal compliance, incorporating steps to narrow pay gaps, improve work-life balance, and prevent discrimination.

Responding to questions, Cadena affirmed the legitimacy of a demonstration called by Acció Feminista on Sunday, stating that participants are free to express their views. She deferred updates on abortion decriminalisation talks with the Holy See to her minister, Ladislau Baró, and noted her attendance at a UN Commission on the Status of Women event in New York on 8 March.