Shared responsibility through the Social Security: new birth and breastfeeding benefits

Abstract

This study sets out to analyse the situation generated by the reforms introduced in the Social Security Law by Royal Decree-Law 6/2019, specifically with the creation of two new benefits for birth and breastfeeding. With the goal of ensuring shared responsibility between parents, the regulation on maternity and paternity benefits has been abolished, being replaced by a new benefit for birth. We analysed the main approaches of this new regulation, as well as its key critical elements, focusing on the protected situations that are the requirements to access the benefit, the content of the protection and the provisional system. With the same critical spirit, we also analysed the new breastfeeding benefit.