Title

Extend Maternity leave, alongside Paternity and Parental leave with better pay

Date

23-03-2026

Date petition closes for signatures

22-05-2026

Creator of petition

CHRISTABEL-MARTHA VELLA VASOVIC

Grievance

Current maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Malta are insufficient to support mothers, fathers, and infants in the critical early years. Early mother–child and parent–child bonding is essential for emotional regulation, cognitive development, and long-term wellbeing. Breastfeeding, when chosen, is a natural and vital component of infant nutrition and health, yet limited leave often prevents it.

Childcare services, while beneficial for families who choose them, cannot replace a parent as a constant, responsive figure. Infants require stable, nurturing care, but financial pressures, including home loans and rising living costs, force parents to return to work shortly after birth. As a result, babies often enter childcare before they are developmentally ready, missing essential bonding and care. Malta’s maternity leave remains among the shortest in the EU, making this issue urgent.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding up to two years or beyond, emphasizing responsive caregiving. UNICEF highlights that parents are the most important providers of nurturing care and require time, resources, and support to provide it effectively.

Fathers play a vital role supporting mothers, bonding with their child, and sharing caregiving, promoting gender equality. Mothers require sufficient recovery time after childbirth, with support from fathers where possible. The current maternity and paternity leave do not support this.

While modern life often requires both parents to work, and career development is fully supported, babies and toddlers still need the emotional security, values, and stability only parents can provide at such a formative age. Current leave policies do not allow parents to provide this consistently, forcing families to compromise essential early care.

Wherefore I/we respectfully request the House of Representatives to

1. Extend paid maternity leave so that each mother can remain at home with her child for 52 weeks, in line with WHO and UNICEF recommendations that emphasize the child’s well-being and the importance of staying at home with a parent during the early formative years. We request that this leave is substantially paid to allow the mother to recover, bond with her child, and, if chosen, continue breastfeeding. In the event the mother dies during her leave with unused leave remaining, the father or legal guardian should automatically receive the remaining leave to ensure the child continues to have a primary caregiver.

2. Extend paid paternity leave so that the father receives the same duration as maternity leave. This allows the father to support the mother, bond with his child, and share caregiving responsibilities. Leave should be substantial and well-paid, promoting gender equality, preventing discrimination in the workforce, and ensuring both parents can fully participate in caregiving.

3. Provide an additional 52 weeks of flexible parental leave, transferable between parents as needed, to allow care for the child beyond the first year, including during sickness or other family needs. All parental leave should be substantially paid, giving families real choice and support.

Closing remarks

Supporting parents during their child’s earliest years is an investment in the child’s health, emotional development, and future success. Equal, well-paid maternity, paternity, and parental leave ensures gender equality, strengthens families, and gives children the care they need during formative years. We urge the Government to act promptly to implement these changes and guarantee every child the opportunity to grow with secure, consistent parental care.