Excluding more parents from Elterngeld would send the wrong signal, says Michaela Kreyenfeld

In Germany, both mothers and fathers are eligible to receive a parental allowance, Elterngeld, to take leave from work to care for their young children. To rein in federal spending, however, the government is now considering reducing the current income threshold of 300,000 euros per couple to 150,000 euros – “a step in the wrong direction”, says Hertie School Professor of Sociology Michaela Kreyenfeld. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk, Kreyenfeld argues that the measure could roll back the progress that has only recently been made toward gender equality in child raising in Germany.

Listen to the interview on Deutschlandfunk (German).
 

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