[Caipirabob]

Under the new child welfare support, parents - either the mother or father - would be entitled to 67 per cent of their previous income, up to a maximum of 1,800 euros a month (2,363 dollars) while staying at home.

OMG! I didn't get to that part before I had started laughing! Germany is insane! I wouldn't even bother working to support this. I'd just quit and leave...

[crazedsocialist]

In Sweden, the rate is 80% for 390 days, based on your income for the 240 days previous (there is a ceiling for that, though), but with 60 days earmarked for either parent. You can't be fired for taking those days, by the way.

I think it's a good system in our individualised society, where having children is an economic disincentive, especially for the mother. The country needs children, so in a free market system, they have to compete for the time and economic reasoning of the parents.