Press release No. 213 of 27 June 2016
WIESBADEN – A total of 1.64 million mothers and fathers received parental allowance in 2016. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that this was an increase of 5% on 2015. While the number of mothers increased by a good 3%, the number of fathers receiving parental allowance rose by almost 12%.
Much more often was parental allowance paid to mothers than to fathers: the 1.28 million female recipients accounted for 77.8%. The share of the fathers was 22.2% in 2016 (2015: 20.9%). The highest proportion of fathers among recipients was recorded in Sachsen (26.5%), the lowest in Saarland (17.0%).
The share of mothers or fathers should not be confused with what is called the participation rate of mothers or fathers. The latter measures the proportion of children whose mothers or fathers received parental allowance. This participation rate can only be determined after the receipt of parental allowance by any recipient has ended for a specific period of birth.