«Care and paid work should be worth the same»
Mrs Zeisler, what do you mean by fifty-fifty parents?
For me, fifty-fifty means meeting at eye level. That you find good solutions for everyday life together. It's not always possible to divide these tasks exactly in half. However, it is important that care work and paid work are of equal value and that the needs of both parents are equally important. As parents, you should make sure that it remains financially fair and that you take turns. In other words, one parent should not constantly do more care and housework.
What are the most important tips for parents who want to live with equal rights?
It's best to start straight after the birth! Dads should definitely spend time alone with the children to get to know their needs and understand how a day like this works. Of course, this is difficult if there are only a few days of paternity leave. Parental leave is needed in which both parents are responsible for the family together or separately. Then of course: talk, talk, talk. And list exactly what needs to be done and how you can better divide up the tasks.
You recently became a mum for the third time. What have you and your partner planned for your parental leave?
We definitely want to split them up again. That worked wonderfully with the last child, even if it was difficult at times because he works as a doctor in hospital. We alternated between parental leave and part-time work and thus divided the first year up to nursery well. This allowed my partner to build up a close relationship with the child: He is the one who puts him to bed at night. And he is involved in the household. He knows when milk needs to be bought and makes sure the kitchen is always tidy. At the moment, we're not quite living fifty-fifty. But we're very close!
