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Writer's pictureAnupam Dubey

Paternity Benefit Bill soon to be introduced in India


Policy Makers in India are proposing a 'Paternity Benefit Bill' for consideration in the next session of Parliament to grant paid paternity leaves

India may have reach to a place where despite facing variation in wages in their workplaces, women are now provided with maternity leaves up to 26 weeks after the amendment in 2017.

Paternity Benefit Bill soon to be introduced in India

The system of patriarchy has instilled a belief in the minds of the people that while a woman must raise the children, the man must only be the breadwinner in the family.

Fathers in general don't have the same privilege as mothers in workplaces in legal terms. Though there are a few companies in India that allow men with paternity leave, but unfortunately there's no such provision by law.

'PATERNITY BENEFIT BILL' TO COME IN INDIA SOON

  • The policy makers from India are now proposing a 'Paternity Benefit Bill' for consideration in the next session of Parliament, according to UNICEF report

  • This bill would allow fathers up to three months of paid paternity leave

UNICEF'S PAID PATERNITY LEAVE:

  • Also, UNICEF has proposed a 16-week paid paternity leave worldwide which was earlier existing for four weeks

  • This leave is for fathers of new infants to bond with their child and foster better relationships

  • UNICEF has become the first United Nations agency to extend such leave beyond the standard four weeks

Recently, India has been counted with 90 countries in the world without national policies in place that ensure new fathers get adequate paid time off with their newborn babies, according to a new UNICEF analysis.

In fact, according to the report, 90 million tiny humans, as soon as they are born, doesn't avail the presence of their fathers to spend time with them.

NATIONAL POLICIES AROUND THE WORLD

  • Countries like India and Nigeria, which have high infant populations are now counted among the 92 countries that do not have national policies which can ensure that the new fathers get adequate paid time off with their newborn babies

  • Other countries with high infant populations, including Brazil and Congo, have national paid paternity leave policies, even though being offered relatively short-term entitlements

According to Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, positive and meaningful interaction with mothers and fathers from the very beginning helps shape children's brain growth and development for life, making them healthier and happier, and increasing their ability to learn. It's all of our responsibility to enable them to fill this role.

FATHER'S PRESENCE AFFECTS MENTAL HEALTH AND SELF-ESTEEM OF A CHILD IN A POSITIVE MANNER

  • According to the studies, when a father is present within the child, he or she grow up as healthier and happier individual apart from the presence of mother with the infant

  • Supporting the study, UNICEF report suggests that the when a child have healthier relationships with his or her father, a child is more likely to grow up with better mental health, self-esteem, and are more satisfied with their lives, as they grow up

The father of a child always play a secondary role in taking care of a new born child because it is always believed that a child needs the mother the most, but actually it needs a father too.

Source, here.

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