… Women and Gender Equality Commission supports paternity leave

IN keeping with its vision to uphold gender equality, the Women and Gender Equality Commission has added its voice in support of allowing men to get some precious leave to take care of their wives in the final stage of pregnancy.

A few weeks ago, Minister of Public Health, Dr George Norton announced that his ministry is developing a white paper to be taken to Cabinet that would afford men some quality days off during the momentous occasion of childbirth.
The commission, which is tasked with promoting gender mainstreaming in all policies and programmes, from its pronouncement, has welcomed the announcement by Dr Norton.
Dr Norton is hoping that the forward-looking policy gets the unequivocal blessing of the David Granger-led Cabinet.
This policy paper intends to increase the maternity leave time for women from three months to six months; and during this time, the husband or partner of the pregnant woman would also be entitled to leave.
Indications are that the father of the child might not get a full six-month vacation, but would be entitled to some pay while he is legitimately off the job.
Paternity leave generally allows men to get more directly involved in child-care, get a break from work, gives their wives a break from child-rearing, and changes the perception of dads.
“Not only must women be charged with the responsibility of taking care of children, but we believe that their male partners must also have that responsibility; hence, the need for paternity leave for both persons,” Women and Gender Equality Commission Chairperson Indranie Chandarpal said.
Should Guyana greenlight the paternity leave, this country would be the latest addition to the long list of countries which have implemented similar measures.

Sympathetic countries
In Belgium, men get 10 days leave when their wives are at the stage of childbirth. In France, they get 11; in Denmark, 14; in Spain,15; in Finland, 54; in Sweden, 60; in Norway, 70; and in Iceland, 120.
According to Forbes Magazine, today, 70 countries around the world provide paid paternity leave for fathers.
For the Public Health Minister, the white paper he will take to Cabinet is part of a wider plan to build a nation of strong and healthy adults and children.
“It would not really be a loss of productivity. A woman returning to work, who has given birth and hasn’t fully recovered from the stress and strain, would not function well. This would affect productivity, plus it would aggravate her condition. With a woman who has fully recovered, the situation will be different, so it is not really a loss of productivity if the maternity leave is extended. It is more [a case of] providing the requisite support for our women, so that they can function well, and this no doubt will certainly increase productivity in the work environment,” Dr Norton contends.
The Women and Gender Equality Commission is mandated to educate women and men on the benefits of gender equality and ending gender-based violence; recommend, with the use of evidence-based data, timely policy and legislative initiatives to uphold women’s rights and gender equality; and monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming within society.
The pronouncement by the commission on paternity leave has no doubt left some men smiling and others jumping for joy.