According to the survey released on Friday in Brussels by the European Commission, 32% of Portuguese men took paternity leave, and 22% are considering doing so (20% in the EU average), with 14% expressly rejecting this possibility.

The survey also showed that 37% of the men interviewed took parental leave, compared with 26% of Europeans, and 20% are considering doing so, although women (67%) are most likely to do so.

Portuguese men remain among those who most consider that the option to take leave for family reasons is frowned upon by colleagues, with 33% of respondents corroborating this statement, a percentage that is only surpassed by Greece (43%), Cyprus (40%) and Bulgaria (34%).

Among Portuguese men, 61% also argue that it is easier for women to take parental leave, considerably more than the EU average of 52%, while 45% consider that opting to take parental leave has a negative impact on their career (39% across the EU).

Despite reluctance to take parental leave, 35% of Portuguese men would be encouraged to stay home with their children if they received more financial compensation during the leave period, and 32% if they had greater assurances that their careers would not suffer.

For this study, the Eurobarometer interviewed 26,582 men aged under 65 in the 28 countries of the EU block between 26 June and 5 July, a thousand of whom were Portuguese.