Karlsruhe (dpa/lsw) – The number of applications for parental allowance in Baden-Württemberg fell slightly in 2022: it fell by 5.1 percent to 158,000, as the L-Bank announced on Thursday in Karlsruhe. The promised volume of parental allowance was still over 1 billion euros. The parental benefit compensates for a lack of income if parents interrupt or reduce their work after the birth. Fathers are increasingly using social benefits. Based on the number of births, the father applied for parental allowance in around 48 percent of cases. Last year the rate was just over 46 percent.