Man for the hearth too...
WE DEBATE IF THE PATERNITY LEAVE IS JUST ANOTHER “HOLIDAY”
While working for the welfare of the fairer sex, women and child welfare minister Maneka Gandhi was rather unfair in her take on paternity leave. While maternity leave now has been extended to 26 weeks, demand for paternity leave, too, is gaining ground. However, according to the minister chances of paternity leave being misused are high. Current regulations allow government employees to go on a 15day paternity leave while there is no such law in the private sector. “Men in India do not utilise their existing leaves in order to take care of their child. If men gave me one iota of hope by taking sick leave for child care, then yes, we can think of mooting a proposal for paternity leave,” the Union minister said. She compared paternity leave to another “holiday”. In a country which promotes “hum do, hamare do”, the responsibility should be shared regardless of gender. Therefore, we spoke to professionals for their take on her statement.