When Justice Fails at the Joint Account
A law that is actually supposed to support families ends up denying benefits precisely to those who are already more burdened in society. Why the new income limit for parental allowance mainly affects women in reality – and what this reveals about our understanding of equality.
💡 The regulation sounds fair – but it isn’t
Starting April 1, 2025, parental allowance will only be paid if the parents’ joint taxable annual income is below 175,000 euros.
Sounds like a reasonable tool to exclude high incomes from state benefits.
But the crucial point lies in the details:
The limit applies to couples jointly, not to the person actually receiving the parental allowance.
👩🍼 Who is really affected
In practice, this means:
- If the partner (often the man) earns very well,
- and the other person (often the woman) takes parental leave or earns little,
- then the entitlement is lost completely – regardless of whether she has her own income or not.
So parental allowance depends on the other person’s income.
And this hits exactly those who already take on care work more often in society: women.
⚖️ Between aspiration and reality
The official goal of family policy is:
“Promote equality and strengthen economic independence.”
In reality, however, the opposite happens:
- Women who pause their own employment for the sake of the family,
- are made financially dependent on their partner,
- and lose state support, even though they personally don’t benefit from the high income.
This doesn’t break up the old division of roles – it cements it.
🔍 Why this is so problematic
The law treats families as if they were an economic unit without power asymmetries.
But that’s not true:
In many partnerships, there are unequal financial circumstances,
and women more often bear the burden of unpaid work, from housework to childcare.
When state support is also withdrawn,
economic dependence becomes the logical consequence –
a step backward for equality and self-determination.
💬 An outcry that is justified
“This is so misogynistic! Because it affects women 99% of the time. We want independent women and then a law like this is passed!”
– This reaction, which is currently widespread on social media,
summarizes the discomfort precisely.
It’s not about luxury or a sense of entitlement,
but about justice at a stage of life
when financial security and social recognition are especially important.
🌱 What needs to change
For parental allowance to actually promote equality, the following should apply:
- Individual entitlement instead of couple’s income
– Whoever takes parental leave should be entitled regardless of the partner’s income. - Promotion of real freedom of choice
– So parents can decide for themselves who takes a break – without financial penalties. - A new understanding of family
– Not as a “unit” in the tax sense,
but as a partnership with individual rights and obligations.
💭 Conclusion
A law that looks like equality can actually exacerbate inequality,
if it ignores social structures.
The new parental allowance shows:
Formal justice is not real equality.
As long as a man’s income determines whether a woman receives financial support during parental leave, we still haven’t understood the core of the problem.