Łukasz Guza: Polish mother, stateless father

Fathers are not the darlings of Polish lawmakers. They still don't enjoy the same rights stemming from having children as mothers. Of course, in some cases, this is perfectly justified – no one disputes, for example, that the first 14 weeks of maternity leave must be reserved exclusively for women, as they need time not only to care for a newborn but also to recover during the postpartum period.

The problem is that Warsaw is reluctant and belatedly granting men rights that shouldn't be differentiated based on gender. A prime example is the right to parental leave. For years, a father was not entitled to it if the mother wasn't entitled to maternity leave (because she wasn't working or self-employed and didn't pay health insurance contributions, which determines eligibility for maternity benefits). A man couldn't access paid childcare, even if he worked and paid health insurance contributions. This only changed thanks to EU law.