• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Home
  • DOPT
  • 7thPC
  • OROP
  • AICPIN
  • 7thPC Excel Calculator
  • CSD
  • Contact Us

7th Pay Commission Latest News

Central Government Employees News

Recent
7th CPC Special Compensatory Allowance : FINMIN hot
Holiday List 2019

New Maternity Bill Skips Paternity Leave, Makes Childcare Only A Mother’s Job, Say Activists

January 10, 2017 Leave a Comment

7thpcNew Maternity Bill Skips Paternity Leave, Makes Childcare Only A Mother’s Job, Say Activists

The new maternity bill that proposes six months’ maternity leave for all working women was passed in the Rajya Sabha in August last year. While activists call it a progressive move for women, absence of any mention about the paternity leave in the bill is raising many eyebrows.

Activists feel that by discounting the role of men, the proposed bill seems to view childcare as an issue that concerns only the mother and not the father.

Akash Premsen, 35, an automobile professional from Delhi who works in the corporate sector became a father last year. He found out that his company only allowed a two-day paternity leave.

“My boss looked at me straight in the eye and said that ‘your paternity leave is for two days’. So I took that two-day leave days and then I immediately took three weeks of my annual leave of that year,” he said.

“People said that I am in love with changing diapers, a lot of jokes were made about me but I rolled with punches because I don’t think that their remarks make me less of a person.”

Mr Premsen’s wife Himani, 32, feels her husband’s paternity leave complimented her maternity leave.

“When our daughter was born, my husband was involved from the day one. Right from bathing the baby , changing the diapers , putting her to bed and taking care of me while I was breastfeeding, he has been a hands-on father. So there is no reason to think that parenting is only a woman’s job”, she said.

At present, men like Mr Premsen, who want to support their wives during and after their delivery, are not entitled to a paternity leave by law and this issue remains unaddressed in the new bill as well. The only exception in this case is the central government employees who are entitled to a 15-day paternity leave.

Women Activists Demand Gender Neutral Parental Leave

Amrita Nandy, a social scientist and writer, feels the new bill puts an unfair burden of child care on the mothers. “One of the biggest misconceptions we have as a society is – because women give birth, they are better caregivers and nurturers. We should try to move towards times where there will be family leave and not paternity or maternity leave.”

She further said, “As a woman, I have the option and choice to be out and working. If you don’t provide me a choice, then I will have to be home. On the other hand, if you only give me the choice of a maternity leave and not my partner, you are making sure that only I stay at home.”

According to the government, however, India is not ready for a paternity leave and fathers are not yet ready to take up this responsibility.

Maneka Gandhi, Minister for Women and Child Development said, “Men may help change a few diapers. Hopefully, they’ll stay up awake at night, but during the day, I doubt it. This will put the woman in a position where she is looking after the baby and then she is looking after the husband during the day. What I am saying is, give me statistics in a couple of years which say that men took sick leave, annual leave and used it as paternity leave. Then I am happy to change it.”

However, activists believe that policies can help change mindsets and are hoping the government will review its decision.

Ms Nandy said, “It is right to say that men haven’t taken up this role, but does that justify why we should not have a provision for it? The duty of the state is to provide a provision.”

NDTV

4
SHARES
ShareTweet

No related posts.

Filed Under: Central Government Employees News

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Most Shared Posts

  • Cabinet approves 3 % DA from January 2019...
    Cabinet approves release of an additional instalment of DA to Central Government employees and DR to
    118 Shares
  • Guaranteed Pension under NPS: PFRDA...
    Guaranteed Pension under NPS: PFRDA PENSION FUND REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY B-14/A, Chhatr
    170 Shares
  • Confederation extends solidarity & support to BSNL Nationwide thr...
    Confederation extends solidarity & support to BSNL Nationwide three days strike from 18th Februa
    83 Shares

Categories

Recent Comments

  • Subir Kumar Bandopadhay on Recovery of excess/ wrongful payments to BSNL employees
  • Hemant on Haryana Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules 2016
  • Diwakar Mishra on Demands of the Central Government Employees : NCJCM
  • Diwakar Mishra on Demands of the Central Government Employees : NCJCM
  • Anjani Amar on Inter-Railway Mutual Transfer – Railway Board Order
  • Shailesh on Demands of the Central Government Employees : NCJCM
  • Debi Roy on Reduction of retirement age from 60 to 58 – Status in MTNL and BSNL.
  • J GOWTHAMAN on Demands of the Central Government Employees : NCJCM
  • Shailesh Shukla on NJCA Meeting – Minimum Wage and Fitment Formula
  • A APPARAO on Authorisation of withdrawals under National Pension System

Free Newsletter – Subscribe here

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Secondary Sidebar

Latest DOPT Orders

Early Closure of Offices in Connection with Republic Day Parade and Beating Retreat Ceremony during January, 2019

Standard forms for permission under the rules and expenditure in respect of immovable property

Amendment in CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972 on implementation of 7th CPC.

Bye elections in Gujarat and Jharkhand : Grant of paid holiday

Important Notice for the Applicants of Lateral Recruitment to Senior Positions

Latest Finmin Orders

Air travel on official tour where the cost of air passage is not borne by the Government of India

Switch to Electric Vehicles in Secretariats/Attached Offices in Delhi : FINMIN

7वां वेतन आयोग – संशोधित वेतन संरचना में शामिल होने का विकल्प में संशोधन का अवसर दिया जाना।

Opportunity for revision of option to come over to revised pay structure : CCS (RP) Rules 2016 – FINMIN

CGEGIS 1980 : Table of Benefits for Fourth Quarter

Copyright © 2019