Paternity Leave should be made mandatory?

Human Capital this month reported new research from Singapore that outlines the case for mandatory paternity leave. Given all the recent social movement and government support for paid parental leave in Australia, is it actually time to address the often undebated issue of 'paternity leave'?

My husband recently enquired about taking paid leave to be the primary carer of our 3rd child born just prior to the introduction paid parental leave and was knocked back by his employer because their workplace only offered paid maternity leave and fathers weren't eligible!

According to the HC article, the majority of parents in Singapore believe paternity leave should be made compulsory. According to a survey by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, 91% of respondents believed paternity should be made law.

Half of the parents said their employers already offered paid paternity leave, and of these the bulk (59%) gets between one and three days of such leave. Of the fathers who have a paternity leave option, three quarters took the leave.

AWARE says there are many reasons for Singapore’s low birth rate, but two important factors in trying to reverse the trend are better support for parenting responsibilities and policies that promote gender equality. The association cites studies that show a direct correlation, in developed nations, between the level of gender equality in a society and its total fertility rate (TFR).

Singapore’s current parenting leave policies – four months for new mothers and none for new fathers – reinforce gender stereotypes of women as caregivers and men as providers. These policies entrench gender inequality.

Specifically, AWARE has called for five policy changes:

· Make paid paternity leave of two weeks mandatory, with the cost shared between the employer and the state

· Convert the 4th month of maternity leave into ‘parental leave’ to be taken by either parent, with the state sharing the cost with the employer when the father takes this leave

· Offer a ‘parenting present’ of $4,000 to couples where the father takes the 4th month of parental leave – A significant number of the parents (57%) said they would welcome having the option of transferring parenting leave from mother to father.

· Convert the currently mandated 6 days of paid childcare leave into dependent’s leave, with ‘dependents’ including older children and parents

· Extend to unwed parents the same parenting leave benefits enjoyed by married parents – an overwhelming 91% said unwed parents deserve the same benefits as their married counterparts.

AWARE says it will forward its proposals to the relevant authorities for their consideration. Read full article.