I have several friends which had kids in Germany: * Mothers are protected from firing once they announce the pregnancy. There are still stupid people which fir

I have several friends which had kids in Germany: * Mothers are protected from firing once they announce the pregnancy. There are still stupid people which fire them and put pressure on them. A friend's boss threw a fit because several of his employees got pregnant and actually said he won't hire women any more. That was likely just blowing off steam, but still. * The mother can take 12 or 24 months off, but gets the same amount in both cases. The pay is capped at 1800 EUR / month, so if she earns well she'll lose a ton of money. * The time off can be shared between parents, but all my acquaintances decided that the father should only take a couple of months off, in order not to lose even more money and affect the careers of both parents. Family doesn't seem to be compatible with the hyper-competitive job market.