🌍 Culture & inspiration · During pregnancy

⚖️ Parental leave and rights: what applies to your family

Leave, benefits, parentage and parental responsibility are distinct legal questions.

Leave, pay and parenthood

1. What to prepare
Check current leave eligibility, notification rules, pay and job protection with the relevant authority and employer; record your agreed plan.
2. What to check
Confirm legal parentage and decision-making authority separately. Obtain family-law advice for unmarried, donor-conceived, adopted, surrogate-born or cross-border families.
3. In South Africa
Do not present the old ten-day father-only entitlement as the complete current rule. The Constitutional Court’s 3 October 2025 Van Wyk judgment introduced an interim shared parental-leave framework, described officially as four months and ten days shared between parents. Agree allocation and notice with employers, taking account of birth-parent recovery protections. Ask the Department of Employment and Labour or a labour lawyer about the current order and any subsequent legislation. Leave entitlement does not guarantee equivalent UIF payment or employer salary.
4. In South Africa
Register the birth with Home Affairs within 30 days. Ask which parentage documents are needed for your family; late registration has extra requirements. A birth certificate, citizenship and permission for international travel are separate issues.

A local detail, or your own experience with this guide? Write to the team