As we continue to see the gruelling effects the pandemic has had on employee populations, the conversation about women bearing the brunt of the economic and social fallout from the crisis has been often discussed – more and more women are forced to consider downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce entirely due to it being far too difficult to manage both the parental and professional roles without leading to burnout. 

However, with this awareness, a narrative has cropped up discussing the role of fathers in the parental unit; namely, how fathers are one half of the parental unit, the importance of fathers taking on caregiving responsibilities in the home, and how they too can begin making that commitment by taking paternity leave. The conversation around paternity leave also stresses how taking time off for paternity leave can improve their home lives and work-life balance while also making them feel more positive about their own careers and employers. 

This year, with Father’s Day round the corner, let us look at how important it is to facilitate the role of fathers and the trends in paternity leave around the world.  

Trends in paternity leave 

In Sri Lanka, as per the Maternity Benefits Ordinance and the Shop and Office Employees Act, a female employee is entitled to maternity leave of 12 weeks for any live childbirth. This is excluding weekly holidays, Poya days, and statutory holidays. This can be obtained up to two weeks prior to the confinement and 10 weeks after the confinement. 

The old law implemented restrictions based on the number of subsequent births. However, this has since been repealed and now, irrespective of the prior number of children, women workers are entitled to maternity leave of 12 weeks. Sri Lanka currently meets the International Labour Organization (ILO) standard of a minimum 12-week leave, although it is important to note that a 14-week leave is recommended. 

Globally, many states have taken it upon themselves to expand the period of paid maternity leave by law. For instance, the Czech Republic provides 28 weeks, Hungary 24 weeks, Italy five months, etc. and countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Sweden all provide extensive paid leave which may be taken by either parent, although a portion is reserved for the mother.

Given the current social and economic context, with the expansion of maternity leave, there have been rising trends in adopting paternity leave. While maternity leave was introduced at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1909 in France, the first paternity leave saw light in 1993 in Norway.

In adopting leave for new fathers, there is reasoning beyond its legal configuration. Paternity leave has a real impact on society. It plays a role in the child’s development, on the notions of parenthood, father, mother, experiences, and expectations. It also reveals many factors and conflicts related to gender equality and real parenting. 

Beyond personal benefits  

Paternity leave is a legal equality issue, as there is an increasing insistence on shared parenting and a strengthened paternal role – the father’s ability to be present during the child’s first moments is essential. It therefore comes down to giving fathers the same rights as mothers. 

Although the practical and physical needs of maternity leave related to childbirth cannot be ignored, paternity leave takes on its full meaning in the father’s support role, not only because of the physical trauma often suffered by the mother at childbirth, but also in the creation of an emotional bond between the father and the child. 

Therefore, the legal reform necessary would be in the service of the child and not solely for the purpose of physical recovery. Paternity leave enshrined in the law is a first step towards the recognition of equality and the father’s role in parenting.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning Brunch, Habish Muttiah, a new father and at present a full-time dad, shared that his family would have benefited from paternal leave, since when his son had been born a year ago, he and his wife had made the decision to prioritise her career and for him to stay at home and attend to the baby.

He shared that in addition to the potential of them continuing to have two incomes, after a year as a full-time father, he also saw that paternal leave could also be a great catalyst that lent itself to reducing the stigma associated with men prioritising family. 

“As a stay-at-home dad, I am often seen as less than male because I put my family first. No one is telling me to my face, but I know that there are those stigmas where people think that somehow I am less of a man, when women do this all the time – where they sacrifice their careers to become the primary caregiver,” he said. 

He also added that paternity leave would really define family equilibrium when a child was born, as it gave room for dynamics that went beyond that time off work: “It is essential for the child’s development as well as for the parents that fathers are involved in household work and take on more responsibility in caregiving.” 

Chinthaka Dharmakeerthi, a lecturer whose son was born at the height of the pandemic, shared that in his case, his workplace was incredibly flexible and also granted him three days of paternity leave. 

“As this was during Covid, my lectures were online so I was able to spend a lot more time with my son. However, I do believe fathers must be given paternity leave to align with maternity leave. Many people do not have the support system that we probably had a generation ago. Especially during Covid, a lot of couples had zero help. This included us – I was basically in survival mode. I had a newborn and my wife to look after; her surgery had major complications so she wasn’t back to normal for three months,” he said.

He added: “If I had paternity leave for at least a solid month, I think I would have been less mechanical and actually been able to enjoy fatherhood. Don’t get me wrong, I did, but I was mostly going ‘Do this, do that. Has he had his feedings? Does he need his diaper changed? Is my wife ok? Did I prepare for this?’ 

“This is why I believe paternity leave needs to stop being just a conversation and actually be implemented in Sri Lanka properly. This is not coming into discussion and action as the so-called sociocultural influences of the US model; childbirth as something which is only affecting the mother and the grandmother is not true in the present day in many scenarios.”

In 2014, the International Labour Organization reviewed parental leave policies in 185 countries and territories and found that all countries except Papua New Guinea had laws mandating some form of parental leave. However, father-specific leave has been adopted by a number of countries and surprisingly countries such as Korea and Japan are at the top when offering paternity leave, despite ranking fairly low on the Gender Gap reports. 

The idea of paternity leave remains a little more modern in most cultures, although the trend to offer paternity leave is becoming more visible, with fathers taking a more active role as partners in raising children, particularly during the newborn stage.