March 19, 2023 - Today is Saint Joseph's Day, which is when, like in most other Catholic countries, Father's Day is celebrated in Croatia. Happy Father's day to all fathers in Croatia and beyond, and we wish you many happy days on paternity leave.

24Sata had a look at how the measure has been doing in Croatia. Since August 1, 2022, when it was introduced, paternity leave has been used by 12,650 fathers, of which 2,301 fathers in January of this year, stated the Central State Office for Demography and Youth on the occasion of Father's Day, on the 19^th of March.

On this special occasion, the Office highlights the importance of equal parenting and the equally important roles of father and mother in a child's life.

We want to emphasize the invaluable role of fathers from the child's earliest age; the Office emphasizes and reminds that the state has formally enabled fathers to do so by introducing paternity leave of 10 or 15 days in case of the birth of twins or more children, which can be used in the first six months of the child's life.

The state fully bears compensation for the cost of the parents' salary.

The office also reminds that with the new Act on Maternity and Parental l Allowances, the state has increased the maximum amount of compensation paid during the use of parental leave to HRK 7,500. Last year, 157 fathers used the maternity leave measure, and 1,988 fathers used parental leave.

Proactive support from employers is also important for more active engagement of fathers, which was confirmed through the DADFORCE standard, which was awarded to INA for the second time in a row on Father's Day, the company announced on Saturday.

Compared to the national data of four percent, INA can boast of as many as 28 percent of fathers using parental leave; they state at INA and add that they are one of the few companies where both women and men get equal rights to sick leave for their children.

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