A landmark ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ordered Italian club Lazio Roma to pay Swedish footballer Maja Göthberg €69,333 after it pulled out of a contract when her pregnancy became known. The judges labelled the decision unlawful discrimination, handing professional athletes a powerful new precedent. The case comes as governments across the world tighten protections for working parents.
Vietnam will take a major step on 1 July 2026. Mothers having their second child will enjoy seven months of maternity leave, up from six. Up to two of those months can be taken before the birth. Financially, the package is generous: mothers receive 100% of their average salary over the preceding six months plus a one-time allowance equal to double the reference rate. Fathers are entitled to ten days off. Applications run through the employer or directly with the social insurance system.
On the same date, Germany replaces its current welfare benefit, Bürgergeld, with a new “Neue Grundsicherung” under the 13th Act amending the Social Code II. The change hits parents hardest: they must be available for work just 14 months after childbirth. The previous exemption period for savings disappears completely, and housing costs will be capped more strictly. Sanctions are steep — a 30% reduction in benefits for three months for a first violation, and full withdrawal for repeat offences. In a separate decision last spring, Germany’s Federal Labour Court clarified that any dismissal is void if a proper mass redundancy notice is missing.
Flexible working parents also gained clarity in November 2025 from the Hamm State Labour Court (case number 11 SLa 394/25). It ruled that parental-leave protection applies fully even when the entitlement is taken in several separate blocks. That gives employees more legal certainty when opting for part-time or staggered leave models.
Spain, meanwhile, has pursued equality from a different angle. Since July 2025, both parents enjoy 17 weeks of fully paid leave. An additional two flexible weeks can be used at any point before the child’s eighth birthday. Benefits are calculated at 100% of the social security contribution base.
Austria is following a fiscal track. The budget committee is debating a family spending package of €9.55 billion for 2027 — a 3.3% increase. A brand-new family benefit accounts for €40 million of that sum. At the same time, the employer contribution to the Family Burden Equalisation Fund is set to drop from 3.7% to 2.7% by 2028.
Together, the rulings and legislative changes paint a patchwork picture. Some countries expand rights and cash, others tighten conditions — but the direction of travel is unmistakable: parental protection, from the football pitch to the factory floor, is being redefined.
