University supports for motherhood and fatherhood

Supports for staff

According to italian regulation (art. 27-bis, T.U. maternità/paternità, d.lgs. 151/2001), new mothers are assured 6 months of paid mandatory maternity leave and can benefit from paid leave for breastfeeding during working hours until the child is one year old. Future mothers can also leave work to attend medical exams, without any reduction of their salary.

New fathers too can benefit from 10 days of mandatory paid paternity leave; they also have the right to up to 7 months of paternity leave.

In addition to maternity and paternity leave, the University of Padua promotes numerous initiatives to support work-life balance aimed at staff.

These include the opening in 2021 of the “Milla Baldo Ceolin” kindergarten in collaboration withSPES(Personal Educational and Social Services) and with the contribution of the Cariparo Foundation. Every year, 40 places out of the total 50 are reserved for the children of the university staff (Ph.D. students, post-doc fellows, postgraduate students, researchers, teaching staff, technical administrative and managerial staff, linguistic expert collaborators and agricultural workers) at a reduced rate of 30%.
Moreover, thanks to an agreement with the Istituto Zooprofilattico delle Venezie, at least 7 places in the childcare facility “Marameo” in Legnaro (PD) are reserved for university staff children. 

The University also provides grants for staff who have incurred expenses for educational services for their children and targeted scholarships for attendance at educational facilities provided for compulsory schooling.

The University has agreements with numerous educational local institutions, for example, the University Sports Center (CUS), where staff have the opportunity to enroll their children in summer centers and after-school activities at reduced rates.

The Athenaeum also offers a supplementary health care service, provided by the health insurance fund Cassa Salutepiù with the insurance company UniSalute, aimed at technical-administrative staff and teaching staff, structured and post-doctoral researches with the possibility of extending assistance to their family members at their own expense.

These initiatives are complemented by the introduction of more flexibility for staff through the possibility of agile work and hourly flexibility, and also through the activation of part-time and teleworking contracts.

Supports for students, Ph.D. students and post-doc fellows

Studying while working
Students engaged in working activities, with an annual income received in 2022 or 2023 of at least 3,500 euros, are granted a reduction in the all-inclusive annual contribution that varies based on ISEE (for ISEE not exceeding 50,000 euros). The reduction is granted for a number of years equal to the normal duration of the course of study, plus an additional three years, starting from the first year of matriculation.

Part-time enrollment
Students who feel they can devote only part of their time to study, due to work or family commitments or health reasons, may choose part-time enrollment.
This option binds for two academic years during which no more than 72 course credits may be earned. Part-time enrollment entails payment of the regional fee for the right to study, stamp duty and 60 percent of the fee paid by students enrolled in the same full-time course.

Students enrolled in these bachelor’s, master’s and single-cycle degree programs can apply, if any of these conditions is present:

• Being concurrently engaged in subordinate, self-employed or professional activity, public or private, full-time or part-time for a period of time of not less than six months and in existence at the time of application;
• Being a student caregiver or engaged on a non-occasional basis in the care and assistance of relatives who are not self-sufficient for reasons of age (daughters/daughters under the age of 3) or health problems (parents, mother-in-law(s), cohabiting daughter(s), sister(s), brother(s), spouse;
• Being suffering from illnesses that, without affecting the ability to learn, still physically prevent or discourage full-time commitment;
• Being concurrently enrolled in colleges of music and choreographic studies or in college-level courses;
• Being engaged in sports activities at a high competitive, national and international level.

The duration of part-time studies is equal to twice the normally scheduled duration of the course of study at most.

PhD students and post-doc fellows maternity allowance

The University of Padua has chosen to supplement with its own funds the maternity allowance provided by Inps during the period of mandatory maternity leave for PhD students with PhD scholarships who will begin the period of mandatory maternity leave as of October 1, 2023.
The supplement, which was approved within the framework of gender policies and with broader reference to the principles contained in the European Charter for Researchers, aims to guarantee an amount equivalent to the PhD scholarship and similar social security treatment.
This measure is structured similarly to what was already in place for post-doc fellows: since the institution of this type of career in 2011 during the period of mandatory maternity leave, the allowance paid by INPS is supplemented by the University up to the full amount of the research grant.

Fee waivers for new parents students

Students who have recently become mothers or fathers are granted a partial exemption from the all-inclusive fee in the academic year of the birth of their child or children, which involves the payment of a fixed annual fee of 380.00 euros in addition to the regional fee and stamp duty.

Quiet rooms
The Athenaeum has created 5 Quiet rooms, places reserved primarily for female students with special needs, including breastfeeding.

Free tampon dispenser and changing tables
The Department of Statistical Sciences has installed a free sanitary towel dispenser on its premises and set up two changing tables.
This initiative was promoted to make the Department an increasingly welcoming, inclusive and caring place for those who study and work there.