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Paternity policy

ACCORDION 13: Paternity policy

Università IULM has adopted a paternity policy that fully supports women’s participation by ensuring that non-gestational parents can actively share childcare responsibilities. This commitment is embedded in the IULM Gender Equality Plan, which identifies shared parenthood and equal access to family support services as strategic priorities to remove barriers to women’s full participation in academic and professional life.

Support for staff

In compliance with Italian legislation (art. 27-bis, T.U. maternità/paternità, D.Lgs. 151/2001 and subsequent amendments, as well as D.Lgs. 80/2015, art. 7), IULM ensures that all non-gestational parent employees benefit from:

  • 10 days of compulsory paid paternity leave, to be taken within five months from the birth of the child.
  • The right to request up to 7 months of additional parental leave, shared with the mother, with full protection of employment.
  • Paid leave to accompany the child or partner to medical visits, without salary reduction.

Beyond statutory provisions, IULM has introduced enhanced work-life balance measures:

  • Flexible contracts, including part-time, teleworking, smart working, and flexible hours, specifically designed for staff with family responsibilities.
  • The inauguration of the Aldia Kindergarten, offering reduced fees for children of staff and making work-life reconciliation a tangible reality for teaching and technical-administrative staff.
  • Additional conventions to extend benefits to staff and their families, including:
    • Educational facilities: nurseries, kindergartens, and bilingual schools (MILE Bilingual School).
    • Mobility and transport: Trenitalia, Pikyrent, Wayla, ITA Airways.
    • Healthcare services: Humanitas, Auxologico, Eurosanità, IEO, and affiliated dental practices.

Support for students

IULM also guarantees that student fathers can pursue their studies while raising a family. Measures include:

  • On-campus nursery access for student parents, ensuring affordability and proximity.
  • Part-time enrolment schemes, enabling students with caregiving duties to extend the duration of their studies while paying proportionally reduced fees.
  • Tuition reductions and scholarships, particularly aimed at women from low-income backgrounds and student mothers, which indirectly support paternity by reducing the overall financial burden on families.
  • Tutoring and mobility support ensuring that parents, including fathers, can fully access Erasmus opportunities and internships both in Italy and abroad.

Work-life balance policies

IULM complements paternity leave provisions with a broader set of work-life balance measures, available to both staff and students:

  • Flexible working arrangements (part-time, teleworking, smart working, flexible hours).
  • Comprehensive conventions with educational, mobility, and healthcare providers to support families in daily life.
  • Counseling and wellbeing programmes that help students and staff manage the dual responsibilities of family and professional or academic careers.

Through these provisions, IULM ensures that paternity is fully recognized and supported, enabling fathers to share childcare responsibilities equitably. By promoting fatherhood as a collective responsibility, the university strengthens women’s participation in all areas of academic and professional life.