Parents tend to have a higher frequency of staying home with ill children, with mothers taking on the role more frequently compared to fathers.
In Germany, a striking disparity in the number of children's sick pay applications between men and women has been observed. According to Barmer, one of the largest health insurance companies in the country with around 8.3 million insured members, approximately 297,000 applications were submitted by mothers in 2023, while men accounted for around 108,000 applications [1][2].
This trend reflects the persistent unequal distribution of family care responsibilities, primarily stemming from traditional gender roles and social expectations that position women as the main caregivers in households.
Key factors contributing to this disparity include traditional gender norms, work-care reconciliation difficulties, formal versus informal care systems, and policy efforts with persistent challenges.
Traditional gender norms continue to play a significant role, with women performing significantly more unpaid care and domestic work than men, reinforcing disparities in caregiving responsibilities [2]. This leads to more women needing children's sick pay to care for sick children.
Many mothers reduce working hours or temporarily leave jobs to manage caregiving duties due to inadequate support systems or childcare options, creating economic and career disadvantages often referred to as the "motherhood penalty" [4].
Germany falls into a "market-based care country" model where elderly parental care is often outsourced to paid professionals, but childcare and short-term parenting care remain mostly informal and disproportionately provided by women [1]. This informal care is often unrecognized and insufficiently supported by government or employer policies.
The German government provides measures like Caregiver Leave and family care helplines to assist workers balancing caregiving and employment, but these measures have not eliminated gender disparities in unpaid care work yet [3].
Barmer's CEO, Christoph Straub, has stated that the higher number of children's sick pay applications from women compared to men reflects the persistent unequal distribution of family care responsibilities.
Since January 1, 2024, parents can apply for children's sick pay for up to 15 days per child, an extension from the previous 10 days. Single parents have a claim to 30 days per child, and parents with more than two children can receive children's sick pay for up to 35 days. Children's sick pay is available for every legally insured child under the age of 12 and can be taken flexibly for individual days [1].
In 2024, Barmer registered a total of 877,000 payment days for children's sick pay, with 648,000 from women and 229,000 from men [1]. The payment is usually 90 percent of the lost net wage. Parents can apply for children's sick pay at their health insurance company, even if they work from home [1].
It's worth noting that, in some cities like one in Baden-Württemberg, the Germany ticket costs 45 euros instead of 58 euros, potentially contributing to residents driving emission-free vehicles and helping the city's climate goals [5].
Looking back at 2023, there were 297,000 applications from mothers and 108,000 from fathers to Barmer for children's sick pay. Barmer recorded a total of 890,000 payment days, with 663,000 from women and 227,000 from men [3].
As the data suggests, the higher number of children's sick pay applications by women in Germany reflects a societal pattern where women disproportionately shoulder family caregiving duties due to enduring gender norms, structural support gaps, and economic trade-offs in managing work and family life [2][4].
References: 1. Barmer 2. German Institute for Economic Research 3. German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth 4. European Institute for Gender Equality 5. Stuttgart Climate Goals
- The unequal distribution of family care responsibilities in Germany, as illustrated by the higher number of children's sick pay applications from women, can be largely attributed to persistent traditional gender roles and norms, which pressure women into becoming primary caregivers.
- Beyond traditional gender norms, structural support gaps, such as inadequate childcare options and work-care reconciliation difficulties, contribute to more women applying for children's sick pay in Germany.
- The integration of health-and-wellness, family-health, and mental-health perspectives into government policies and employer initiatives could help alleviate the burden of family caregiving on parents, specifically in reducing the motherhood penalty and promoting equal parenting responsibilities.
