Family - Mothers demanded for care of sick children
Mothers still take on the majority of care for sick children. According to data from the Barmer Health Insurance Fund, women in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern filed almost twice as many applications for Child Sick Pay as men in the previous year.
At the Barmer Regional Association, approximately 23,000 applications were submitted by women and 9,160 by men. Nationwide, the proportion of employed women who stayed at home to care for their sick children was almost three times higher. With around 268,000 insured persons and a population share of 17%, Barmer is the second largest health insurance fund in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
"Child Sick Pay is an important instrument to reduce burdens on parents and create a healthy environment for families," noted Barmer Regional Manager Henning Kutzbach. "Our investigation also shows that women continue to bear the main burden of child care."
Child Sick Leave Reversed
In comparison to the Corona years 2021 and 2022, the number of applications has decreased. While there were 41,000 applications for Child Sick Pay across Germany with Barmer in 2021, there were only 32,160 in total in 2023. According to the data analysis, insured women spent a total of 54,640 days at home caring for their sick children, while men spent 20,960 days.
Since the beginning of this year, parents have had an extended claim to Child Sick Pay. Each parent can now apply for the benefit for 15 instead of 10 days per child. For single parents, the entitlement has been increased to 30 days per child. Parents with more than two children can receive up to 35 days of Child Sick Pay, and single parents with more than two children can receive up to 70 days.
- Despite the decrease in applications for Child Sick Pay in 2023, women in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern still filed nearly twice as many applications as men, following the trend observed nationwide.
- In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Barmer, the second largest health insurance fund with around 268,000 insured persons and a population share of 17%, noticed a higher number of Child Sick Pay applications submitted by women compared to men.
- Henning Kutzbach, the Regional Manager of Barmer in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, emphasized the importance of Child Sick Pay in reducing parental burdens and creating a healthy family environment, mentioning that women continue to carry a significant share of this responsibility.
- According to statistical data from Barmer, the total number of days spent at home caring for sick children by insured men in 2023 was significantly lower compared to the days spent by women during the same period.
- To further support families dealing with sick children, the entitlement for Child Sick Pay has been extended for each parent to 15 days per child, and for single parents to 30 days per child, with additional benefits for families with more than two children.
