In the preliminary text of the 2025 Budget Law, an important change appears for Italian families: parental leave can be used up to the son or daughter’s age of 14, extending the current limit set at 12 by two years.
This is an update of Legislative Decree 151 of 2001, the text that regulates maternity, paternity and protection of parenthood in the world of work. Not a revolution, but an adjustment that recognizes that caring for children does not end in the first years of life and that reconciling work and family remains a concrete challenge even when children grow up.
What changes
With the new draft, every parent will be able to continue to request periods of parental leave, either continuously or fractionally, until their child turns 14. The right to compensation equal to 30% of salary for the periods covered by the law remains unchanged, with full recognition of time for the purposes of seniority and notional contributions.
In practice, it increases the flexibility available to parents: it will be possible to distribute the leave more widely over time, adapting it to the real needs of the family – for example in the case of school problems, illnesses or simply moments when it is necessary to be there more.
This revision reflects an important change in perspective: it is not enough to guarantee the right to become parents, it is also necessary to make it possible to truly be one, without having to choose between work and family presence.
Extending the parental leave window means recognizing the value of shared time and the need for a more humane balance between private and professional life. Will it be enough to invest in the well-being of families and the growth of children, two fundamental elements for a more equitable and sustainable society?
