With her tiny little hand, Evelyn holds tightly to the lapel of her mother’s, Sarina Tille’s, suit as she prepares for her presentation at a workshop at the Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where she is head of the Education Department. Unusual for Greek standards, the image of a young mother with a baby in her arms in a room full of professionals, but she quickly ‘breaks the ice’ – “she’s my little colleague”, Sarina introduces her.

With the shadow of the demographic problem falling heavily over Greece, motherhood continues to test the limits of working life. According to surveys, Greek working women account for 52.8% of the population when the European average is 65.7%, while working mothers make up 61.3% of the country’s workforce – again, a figure lower than the rest of Europe.

At the same time, in Sweden and Norway, more than 80% of mothers are working mothers, as they are favoured by the institutional framework. International evidence shows that in countries where the state and employers offer generous parental leave, affordable care structures, and flexible forms of work, mothers’ participation in the labour market increases significantly, and the prospect of starting a family is not burdened.

How the ‘motherhood-work’ dichotomy is supported internationally

In OECD countries, paid maternity leave averages 18.5 weeks.

Working mothers enjoy greater support in Scandinavia. In Sweden, in particular, parents are entitled to 480 days of leave, with 390 of them covered at 80% of salary as a cap and the rest at a basic amount.

The basic rate is based on a fixed amount of 390 per month, with a basic rate of 90% and a basic rate of 20%.
From 1 July 2024, up to 90 days can be transferred to grandparents/relatives/person of choice, increasing flexibility for families and creating a strong childcare net, thus ensuring high parental participation in the labour market. Norwegian mothers can choose between 49 weeks at full pay or 61 at 80% while public childcare for 3+ children covers 97% of the cost. As a result, in the Nordic countries, more than 82% of mothers with children work, while the cost of care does not exceed 6% of family income. In Germany, after 14 weeks of maternity leave, there is the Elterngeld benefit, which covers around 65% of the salary for up to 14 months, with the possibility of sharing it between the parents. The employment rate for mothers is up to 73%. In France, mothers receive 16 weeks of maternity leave with full insurance cover, and childcare for children over 3 years is covered by the state at a rate of 99%. Maternity leave in the UK can reach 52 weeks, but only the first 6 weeks are paid at 90% of salary. This is followed by a low fixed allowance for 33 weeks (SMP) or 90% if it is particularly low. Childcare costs are among the highest in Europe, reaching 30% of family income, making it difficult for many women to return to work. Canada offers up to 61 weeks of part-paid leave, ranging between 55% and 33% of salary. In the US, federal legislation provides for only 12 weeks of unpaid leave or job protection, so employment rates for mothers are lower: about 66%. There are, however, variations between states.

Maternity support in Greece: numbers, policies, and social challenges

In Greece, childcare facilities have improved in recent years, but coverage remains below the European average. Most families still rely on the help of grandparents. According to OECD data, net spending on childcare often reaches double-digit percentages of family income.

Working women are entitled to 17 weeks of leave – 8 before and 9 after childbirth. These months are legally protected as it is prohibited to dismiss a pregnant woman or mother during the leave and for at least 12 months afterwards. In addition, 6 months of “special” leave is allowed, extended to 9 months for the private sector in 2022.

Each parent is entitled to 4 months of leave until the child reaches 8 years of age, with pay for the first 2 months. The father has 14 working days of fully paid leave, 2 of which are before or after the birth and the rest within 30 days.

Regarding access to public childcare facilities, it is worth noting that Greece lags behind the EU average in enrolment of 0-2 and 3-5 year olds, as reflected in sgi-network.org. It should also be recalled that the support programme ‘neighbourhood nannies’ for carers of children from 2 months to 2.5 years old has been implemented.

As Le Monde highlights, Greek women spend an average of 282 minutes a day on housework and care – the highest rates in Europe – as opposed to men, who are limited to 59 minutes.
Many families, lacking adequate public facilities, turn to private ones, for which the annual cost is in the region of €3,000. It should be noted that public nurseries and kindergartens often close before 16:00, so the hours are not compatible with parents’ working hours.

Regarding the participation of women in employment, according to EURES (European Employment Services) data for 2023, 52.8% of Greek women aged 15-64 are working. In comparison, the EU average is 65.7%. More specifically, on maternal employment, only 61.3% of women aged 25-54 with children were in employment – among the lowest rates in the EU – according to European Commission data. Greece also has a large gender gap in employment between mothers and fathers, which is as high as 27 percentage points.

With the demographic challenge hitting our country hard and in order to reverse the decline in birth rate, Greece is investing €1 billion a year in incentives such as allowances or tax breaks. However, the interventions may not be enough, according to Reuters – overall improvements in education, health, income levels, and life-work balance are proposed.

What the key institutional framework for supporting maternity at work in Europe includes

The minimum rights guaranteed by the European Union for all member states is the obligation to provide at least 14 weeks of maternity leave with protection against dismissal. In addition, there is 10 days of paternity leave, 4 months of parental leave, and the right to apply for flexible working for parents of children up to 8 years old, and 5 days of carers’ leave for carers.

As for childcare, in 2023, in the EU, 37.4% of children under 3 participated in a public childcare facility, when the EU target for 2030 is 45%. As the European Commission data highlights, 94.6% of children aged 3-6 attend pre-school education and 47.9% of children aged 1-2 go to a public nursery.

As estimated by the OECD, for a working couple with two young children, the net cost of childcare averages 14% of average income, but it varies.

On how motherhood affects women’s employment, relevant EU research reveals that women aged 25-54 with children had 72% employment compared to 77% without children, while men with children had higher employment than those without. In 2024, the overall employment gap between men and women was 10 points, when in Greece it was almost triple that (27%). OECD data shows that on average 64% of ‘recent mothers’ (0-2 years old) are in work, but only 45% of them are working and not absent due to leave, highlighting how dependent returning to work is on the availability of leave and care.

What incentives are given to working mothers

Benefits and wage replacement during maternity leave play a central role, with the Nordic countries being representative examples.

To reduce the burden on the mother as well as to maintain full employment, non-transferable “paternity” rights, childcare subsidies, tax deductions, and flexible forms of work are important.
According to the OECD, the combination of generous but not excessively long leave, so that mothers are not disconnected from work, and affordable, adequate childcare is associated with higher rates of return to full-time employment for women with young children (webfs.oecd.org).

Comparative table with data on how maternity and childcare is supported in different countries

Country Parental/Medical Leave (duration) Payment / Replacement Care Coverage <3 years Care Coverage 3+ Net Cost of Care (% income) Employment of Mothers (25-54, with children)
Sweden 480 days (390 with 80% of salary) ~80% (capped) 56% 96% 5-6% 83%
Norway 49 yrs (100%) or 61 yrs (80%) 100% or 80% 54% 97% 5-6% 82%
Germany 14 weeks maternity + Elterngeld up to 14 months ~65% of salary 36% 94% ≤5% 73%
France 16 weeks maternity ≈100% through insurance 60% 99% 8-10% 78%
UK. UK 52 weeks (6 weeks 90%, 33 with Statutory Maternity Pay) 90% (6 weeks), then fixed amount 33% 95% ≈30% 72%

Does maternity work balance with work?

Sarina Tile is raising two young girls, three-year-old Artemis and 15-month-old Evelyn, with her Greek husband, who is a freelancer. Every day life is full of challenges as the grandparents are in Crete and Germany. “We are completely alone in Athens; we both work. Our eldest daughter goes to the crèche. I usually work with the little one next to me,” says Sarina, benefiting from telecommuting. At events or meetings, she often takes her youngest, Evelyn, with her. “It’s not easy to concentrate on the child and work at the same time, but sometimes there is no other solution,” she admits.

The image of a woman showing up with a stroller for a business meeting is startling, but it quickly works positively. “At first, they may look at me in wonderment, then the atmosphere relaxes. When they ask me if I work with the baby, I tell them that she is my ‘colleague’. Adapting children is a matter of training,” she explains. Of course, there are difficult moments. “It’s happened that I’ve been nagged in a meeting, that I can’t work. I went out, lulled her to sleep, and went back in. I didn’t feel the need to apologise – it’s a human thing.”

The importance of support in the workplace

“The Greek-German Chamber of Commerce adopts flexible employment and acceptance policies for working mothers,” she begins, to add: “There are other colleagues with young children. Our new director, a father himself, supports this philosophy, which is common in Germany: telecommuting, the possibility of bringing the child to the office. It’s something new for Greece and I’m glad it exists, because it gives courage to other women not to be afraid of losing their careers if they become mothers.” This support is expressed not only institutionally but also humanly. “If a project is delayed because something happened with the child, there is understanding. The key thing is for society as a whole to start accepting this. Besides, I will not work with the child forever – he will soon go to the nursery”.

“There is no reason to feel guilty about becoming mothers. On the contrary, we can be better professionals, because motherhood teaches new skills: I have acquired more patience. I learned to manage my stress better, to adapt to what I can’t change, to compromise when I need to.”

Sarina recalls that, 4 months pregnant, she travelled alone with her firstborn daughter to Berlin for a presentation to the German Ministry of Education. “I think women should not feel that motherhood is a barrier to a career. Life doesn’t end with children, it just changes the way you organise it,” she says.