Mayor Hartmann brings his son to the town hall - a new role model?

Mayor Hartmann brings his son to the town hall - a new role model?

In the city of Landau, an informative handling of the compatibility of family and work in political offices is evident. Landau Mayor Lukas Hartmann from the Greens often brings his eight -week -old son Fion to the town hall because he is formally no parental leave. After the birth of his son, Hartmann had taken four weeks of vacation in early April to experience the first time with his child intensively. This regulation is not unusual, because election officers, which include mayors, members of the Landtag and Bundestag, are not entitled to parental leave. Hartmann expresses understanding of this legal requirement, but emphasizes that he would like to spend more time with his child.

He uses the opportunity to take Fion with various events in the town hall. The reactions in the administration are mostly positive, which Hartmann feels privileged. This sees himself in a special position compared to other administrative staff who have the right to parental leave. His colleague, the Mayor of Speyer Stefanie Seiler from the SPD, also described the challenges and organizational hurdles associated with taking a baby.

parental leave in the mayor's office

Seiler, who became a mother in October 2022 and was back in office in early 2023, bridged a month before her husband could go on parental leave. Incidentally, she does not see special challenges as unfair because she recognizes her husband's status and possibilities: he can go to parental leave for two years. Dealing with parental leave among mayors is a controversial topic. In 2010 Tübinger's Mayor Boris Palmer was the first to take parental leave. Currently, only 3 percent of the mayors in Germany use this possibility during their tenure, although many consider the office as 24-hour job.

A bachelor thesis on the compatibility of family and work in the mayor's office shows that only 12 percent of the mayors took part in the survey and the majority of the respondents are skeptical about longer absences. Sexual differentiation is also important: While women usually use parental leave, they are only represented in the mayor's office. The Mayor of Tübingen Palmer notes that a good whether two months can be absent, which keeps up with the discussion about a contemporary handling of parental leave.

legal framework conditions

The Federal Parental Flyings and Parental leave law (BEEG) regulates the rights and duties of parents in Germany. Mothers and fathers are entitled to unpaid break of up to three years per child, while the employment relationship rests and special dismissal protection measures apply. This also applies to a wide variety of groups of workers, but not to self -employed or volunteers. In the political area, however, access to parental leave for civil servants and elected representatives remains problematic.

The registration deadlines for parental leave vary as required, whereby timely registration is required. These legal framework meets mixed resonance. Changes in the role model could influence the future use of parental leave by mayor, which could also revitalize the debate about gender justice in the mayor's office. The balance between the requirements of the office and the needs of a young family is a challenge that needs to be overcome.