Home > #Pre-Activism > Issues >

Fatherhood VS Career: Is India bridging the gap for working dads?

In an age where the preset roles that men and women are expected to play in society are gradually changing, we decided to take a look at the different methods in which this change is encouraged.

One of the notable changes is facilitating men to be more involved in the upbringing of their children. The pre-conceived notion that since ‘fathers go to work’ and hence aren’t necessarily as physically available for their kids is now being questioned. Men may have jobs to go to, but their involvement in their kids’ welfare does not take a backseat.

The International Labour Organization stated in a report in 2014 that 78 countries provide paternity leave to their citizens. This is primarily done to encourage men to participate more actively in child rearing. Most of these countries offer at least two weeks of paternity leave, but Sweden stands out in offering 2 months of paternity leave. This brings us to the paternity leave policies provided by the Government of India.

Here are a few points the Government of India says about paternity leave facilities for those in service with the Central Government –

Any male member in service can avail of paternity leave, even if he is under probation.

He can avail of this leave 15 days before or before 6 months from the delivery date of the child.

Paternity leave is paid leave where the father will be paid exactly the same salary he was drawing immediately before the leave.

Paternity leave may be combined with any other leave of any nature.

The leave will be considered as lapsed if not availed before 6 months from the birth of the child.

It’s about time we all learn to accept that fathers are primary caregivers as well. While a move is being considered to increase maternity leave from 12 weeks to 28 weeks, in comparison, paternity benefits have a lot to catch up with. In addition, most private companies are yet to bring in the paternity leave policy for their employees. While most fathers today feel the need to spend quality time with their children, when is the society going to allow them to?