AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON PARENTAL LEAVE SYSTEM AND THE NEED FOR PATERNITY LEAVE - A GLOBAL ASPECT. By - Jaisri Y R, Harnita Prasad & Harini C

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON PARENTAL LEAVE SYSTEM AND THE NEED FOR PATERNITY LEAVE - A GLOBAL ASPECT.

Authored By - Jaisri Y R, Harnita Prasad & Harini C

ABSTRACT:

The recent onset of maternity leaves is essential for empowering the modern-day woman. But at the same time, it continues to reinforce the idea of ‘Women as the caregiver.’ We raise a simple question - what about the duty of Fathers as equal caregivers? In the 21st century, we continue to battle against a plethora of gender-biased norms reflected in a country’s legal regime. This social construct discriminates against people based on their gender overlooking the abilities they possess. Beyond breaking these taboos, we prove that Paternity leaves foster better bonds between the father and child while increasing the economic labor force participation of women. To live up to the constitutional principle of equality, the recently introduced Indian Paternity Leave Bill rekindles hope for creating an economically viable policy to enable Indian men to take up greater household roles. Gender roles are how we are expected to present ourselves in front of everyone by our assigned sex. For example, historically women were expected to be docile and soft-spoken. Men on the other hand were expected to be strong, aggressive, and bold. Stereotypical norms dictate widely accepted judgment or bias towards certain groups or communities, even though it is mostly inaccurate or is presented in an overly simplified manner. We propagate for learning from the Scandinavian countries and instilling their best practices in domestic policy. To conclude, we aim to establish the need for lengthened paternity leaves as a policy measure and as a reform that transforms social structures.

KEYWORDS: Paternity Benefit, ILO, Child Development, Maternity, Empowerment.

INTRODUCTION:

Parental leave is a labor benefit law that provides job-protected leaves to care for a newly born or adopted child. It can be paid or unpaid. It solely ensures that the caretaker can balance both a family and a job. However, we often see it getting translated only in maternal leave policies, owing to the cultural and structural barriers that society possesses. The inherent problem with the absence of paternity benefit leaves is that it reinforces gender- roles in society - fathers are the ‘breadwinners’ while mothers are the ‘caretakers'. To achieve greater gender equality, both at the workplace and home, structures must provide men with equal opportunity to spend time and care for their newborn children. Paternity benefit leave is an employee benefit provided to new fathers for childcare, whether for newborn babies or adopted children. While maternity leaves for new mothers are available all across the world, adequate paternity leaves are hardly provided. Only 43 countries in the world provide paid leaves of over 14 weeks. There are no national policies in countries like India, United States, Sri Lanka, UAE among many others. This goes to say that the lack of paternity leaves is not a problem restricted to Asia or the developing world, but pervades global boundaries. International Labour Organization's (ILO) Maternity and Paternity at Work Report 2014 quotes, “By drawing fathers into the daily realities of childcare, free of workplace constraints, extended time off provides the space necessary for fathers to develop the parenting skills and sense of responsibility that then allows them to be active co-parents rather than helpers to their female partners.” The objective of this paper is not to challenge maternity leaves at all, but to propagate the necessity of paternal leaves in an attempt to battle the biased status quo. Studies show that paternity leaves not only push fathers to assume greater parental responsibilities but also foster better relations and growth of the child. In India, where the patriarchal society continues to exercise dominant roots, it becomes even more pertinent to address the benefits that will accrue from this move. Currently, only government services provide 15 days of paternity leaves. This is extremely less; the proposed bill suggests extending this up to 3 months. Any such benefit provided in the private sector is contingent upon their policies. While there are tangible benefits of providing this benefit, there do exist arguments against this provision - primarily focused on the increased economic burden on firms. Through a Cost-Benefit Analysis, the paper will address these concerns and attempt to provide counter-arguments that emphasize the urgent need for paternity leave benefits. This paper will also address the issues from an economic lens, wherein there exists a dichotomy or perceived trade-off between economic growth and labour rights. It will carry out a comparative analysis of paternal leave policies that have been implemented in other countries, with the existing rules in India. Through this analysis, the paper will also attempt to address gaps or shortcomings of the proposed bill and provide recommendations to plug the leaks by creating a feasible and practical mechanism for the implementation of these benefits. The objective of this paper is therefore to establish a need for paternity leaves by elaborating on the far-reaching benefits. Further, it will address the resistance that is often raised against paternity benefits. We analyze the current Indian Paternity Bill 2017 that has been introduced in the parliament and finally conclude by taking recommendations from developed countries around the world to ensure the provision of an optimum paternal leave. In the 21st century, one of the most significant changes that India witnessed in its demography was a paradigm shift from a gender-biased society towards gender equality. Women struggled in every sphere to be on an equal pedestal as men. In the status quo, even though single women are independent and empowered, it is statistically proven that career-oriented women are detrimentally affected by their marriage and motherhood. At the end of the day, Paternity benefit leaves are taken for child care. It enables fathers to spend time and bond with their child during crucial developmental months. This shared parenting between the two genders has a huge positive impact on the growth of the child. The emotional attachment during these years is said to culminate in better father-child relationships in the future as well.

OBJECTIVES:

? To analyze the need for paternity benefit and parental leave system.

? To propagate the necessity of paternal leaves in an attempt to battle the biased status quo

? To discuss various Attributes and complications faced in providing paternity benefit.

? To discuss in detail the importance of relationship between father and child.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

Research Paper on Paternity Leave and its Significance Paternity Leave has been acknowledged in changing times; however its advocacy in true spirit remains a challenge. Paternity leave is form of paid or unpaid time off work to care for a child or make arrangements for the child's welfare. The term "parental leave" includes maternity, paternity, and adoption leave. There is very little evidence available in the Indian context as to whether or not the employers and employees (to be fathers) understand the significance and importance of Paternity leave. Most employees are unaware of such benefit leading to non- negotiation with employers. Sadly there is no law stating that Paternity Leave should be given to an employee. Many large Corporate, MNCs, NGOs do provide paternity leave varying from 7 to 15 days as per company policy. (V. Pimpale on 2014) The Evolution of Maternity and Paternity Leave Policies over Five Decades — a Global Analysis The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. M. Hyland, Liang Shen published on 20 October 2022 A Study on the Problems and Improvement Measures of the Parental Leave System for Police Officials by S. Sung, This research analyzes the evolution of maternity and paternity leave across the world, covering 190 countries over 52 years. The data show striking differences both within and between countries in how leave distribution for parents upon the birth of a child has evolved. The study finds that, across all regions, there have been notable increases in the number of leave days a mother can take. Sang-woon Kim on 31 January 2021. The impact of paternity leave on mothers’ employment in Europe In this paper, I use a pseudo-panel approach with data from the European Union Labour Force Survey to study the impact of paternity leave policies on mothers’ employment in ten countries. Using a dynamic Difference-in-Difference strategy, I show that paternity leave increased mothers’ employment rate by up to 17% in the long run, and average hours worked by 2 to 4%. There is substantial heterogeneity across countries in the effect of paternity leave policies. The impact on employment rates is positive and significant in eight of the ten countries of the sample, while the impact on hours worked can be either positive or negative. Johanne Bacheron 2022. Fathers’ Paternity Leave-Taking and Children’s Perceptions of Father-Child Relationships in the United States Analysis of the associations between paternity leave-taking and 9-year-old children’s reports of their father-child relationships suggests that increased attention on improving opportunities for parental leave in the United States may help to strengthen families by nurturing higher quality father- child relationships. Richard J. Petts, C. Knoester, Jane Waldfogel on 4 May 2019. Association of Paternity Leave with Impaired Father–Infant Bonding: Findings from a Nationwide Paternity leave was associated with impaired bonding, especially with increased anger and rejection, among fathers with children under two years of age. Although the number of fathers taking childcare leave is increasing, the impact of paternity leave on father–infant bonding remains to be fully investigated. This study aimed to assess the association between paternity leave and father–infant bonding among fathers with children under two years old. A cross-sectional study was performed using data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey study, a nationwide online survey conducted between July and August 2021. Shuhei Terada, T. Fujiwara, E. Obikane, T. Tabuchi on 1 April 2022. Maternity Leave and Paternity Leave: Evidence on the Economic Impact of Legislative Changes in High Income Countries . labour market policies for expecting and new mothers emerged at the turn of the nineteenth century. The main motivation for these policies was to ensure the health of mothers and their newborn children. With increased female labor market participation, the focus has gradually shifted to the effects that parental leave policies have on women’s labor market outcomes and gender equality. Serena Canaan, A. Lassen, Philip J. Rosenbaum, H. Steingrimsdottir 2022. Proponents of extending parental leave rights for mothers in terms of duration, benefits, and job protection have argued that this will support mothers‘ labor market attachment and allow them to take time off from work after childbirth and then safely return to their pre-birth job. Others have pointed out that extended maternity leave can work as a double-edged sword for mothers: If young women are likely to spend months, or even years, on leave, employers are likely to take that into consideration when hiring and promoting their employees. Perspectives of General Surgery Program Directors on Paternity Leave During Surgical Training. Surgical program directors report male residents take brief paternity leave despite a desire for more time off, which may be influenced by fear of stigma and surgical culture that avoids handing off work, even for short periods of time. Manuel Castillo-Angeles, D. Smink, Erika L. Rangel on 1 December 2021. Preferences for Paid Paternity Leave Availability, Lengths of Leave Offerings, and Government Funding of Paternity Leaves in the United States General Social Survey data about preferences for paid paternity leave availability, lengths of leave offerings, and government funding of leaves. It highlights gender and gendered parenting role attitudes as predictors of leave preferences. Descriptive results revealed sizable (i.e., 53 percent) support for leave availability and moderate (i.e., 33 percent) support for some government funding; still, only modest (i.e., five weeks) lengths of leave offerings were desired. Regression results indicated that women were typically more likely than men to support more generous leave offerings. C. Knoester, Qi Li on 7 April 2021 This study analyzes 2012. Associations between Paid Paternity Leave and Parental Mental Health Across the Transition to Parenthood: Evidence from a Repeated-Measure Study of First-Time Parents in California . Paid family leave may mitigate stress and health challenges across the transition to parenthood. The current study examined whether paid paternity leave is associated with first-time parents’ trajectories of depression, stress, and sleep from the prenatal to postpartum periods. Expectant parents (72 couples) reported on their depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and daytime fatigue during mid-to-late pregnancy and then again at six months postpartum. At one year postpartum, fathers reported on any paid or unpaid leave taken following their child’s birth. Sofia I. Cardenas, Michaele Francesco Corbisiero, Alyssa R. Morris, D. Saxbe on 25 October 2021. Paternity leave: stepchild of family-friendly policies. Moderating the role of traditional masculinity ideology . PurposeThe purpose of this study is to demonstrate the importance and influence of paternity leave on individual level organizational outcomes. Drawing on signaling theory, the study examines the relationship between paid paternity leave entitlement (PPLE) and organizational attractiveness (OA) through a mediating path of anticipated organizational support (AOS). Furthermore, the study proposes that this mediated relationship would be conditional on traditional masculinity ideology (TMI) such that the relationship would be stronger for individuals who score low on TMI.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzed a moderated mediation model using the data from a survey experiment. B. Maheshwari, Jatin Pandey, Aditya Billore on 19 July 2021. Preferences for Paid Paternity Leave Availability, Lengths of Leave Offerings, and Government Funding of Paternity Leaves in the U.S. C. Knoester, Qi Li on 22 April 2021 This study analyzes 2012 General Social Survey data (N = 1,089) about preferences for paid paternity leave availability, lengths of leave offerings, and government funding of leaves. It highlights gender and gendered parenting role attitudes as predictors of leave preferences. Descriptive results revealed sizable (i.e., 53%) support for leave availability and moderate (i.e., 33%) support for some government funding; still, only modest (i.e., 5 weeks) lengths of leave offerings were desired. Regression results indicated that women were typically more likely than men to support more generous leave offerings. Consistently, dual-earner expectations were positively associated with preferences for more generous leave offerings.C. Knoester, Qi Li on 22 April 2021. “Pregnancy outcome in Working women with work place stress” deals with pregnancy outcomes and risk factors faced by women at the time of pregnancy due to increase in working women and their continuity towards work during pregnancy period. This paper depicts the result of risk factors for women’s health during pregnancy like anemia, postpartum psychosis, reduced plasma volume, diversion of blood flow away from the placental bed and Hormonal imbalance. It categories physical activity which women should take at pregnancy to reduce the stress level and get away from those risk factors. Naik.M.V, Vedavathy Nayak, Renuka Ramaiah, praneetha (2017). “ The prevalence and determinants of pregnancy-rated anxiety amongst pregnant women at less than 24 week of pregnancy”, a paper deals with the psychological changes and anxiety of pregnant women living in low income counties and high cost of living countries. It explains how common the anxiety and depression during pregnancy. Anita Nath, Shubhashree Venkatesh, Sheeba Balan, Chandra S Metgud, Murali Krishna and Gudlavalleti Venkata Satyanarayana Murthy. (2019) . ” Implementation of Maternity Benefit Act 1961”, V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, NOIDA. This paper deals with the implementation of maternity benefits and benefits, measures which is made for her in Post-Constitution to protect her and her child because she requires it. ShashiBala (2012). “A Study on Effectiveness and Impact of Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 on Employment in Unorganized Sector with Reference To Construction Company (West Nagpur, Maharashtra, India)”, this articles aids to understand effectiveness of maternity benefits and also it creates an awareness among working women to know their rights. It helps them to understand social security and protections available for them. Dr. Rajeshri Randive Admane.(2020)

Reforms in the Swedish Parental Leave System and their Effects on Gender Equality by Ann-Zofie Duvander, The father’s quota in the Swedish parental leave system aims at increasing fathers’ leave use but also gender equality in the home sphere and in the labor market. This study investigates the effects of the reform of one month reserved for fathers in 1995 and two months in 2002. We use parental benefit for the care for sick children as a proxy for division in the home, and the results indicate that the first reform led to a more equal sharing of care for sick children, mainly as women who had used a lot of benefit days earlier on reduced their use. Moreover, after the second reform women had better income development, especially women who had earlier had very low income, indicating an increased labor supply rather than a wage increase. M. Johansson (2015). Make Some Children Worse Off , by K. Huber on 22 September 2015 . Significant negative effects on the personality of newborns whose families are subject to a nonpositive change in the overall benefit amount compared to the pre-reform situation are detected. K. Huber on 22 September 2015. How Sweden became a father-friendly welfare state: The development of the Swedish parental leave policy for men by Yeonju Kim,. Sweden originally featured a male breadwinner model, but since the 1930s it has gradually transitioned to the world's ideal welfare state and gender-equal society. This transition was made possible through a long period of Social Democrats’ rule and their optimistic views on social engineering. Sweden's male parental leave system started with the conversion of maternity insurance to parental insurance in the 1970s, and a quota system known as 'Daddy Month’ was introduced in 1995. The allocation period was extended to 60 days in 2002 and again to 90 days in 2014. Sweden has not only focused on improving women's work-family balance, but also aimed to create a father-friendly welfare state that guarantees men's family rights, that is, the right to raise children by strengthening the universal parental leave and quota system. Jinwook Kim on 30 June 2022.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

The author has adopted Empirical method with a convenient sample method to do this non-doctrinal study.Primary sources such as questionnaires and surveys are used for this research.Secondary sources such as books,articles and journals were referred for the study.The Independent variable taken here is age, gender,education qualification,Geographical area, employment. The dependent variables are agreeability towards all people being entitled to the same civil rights, liberties and opportunities regardless of gender. Validity towards transfer of property to unborn child , in this research the question of gift to an unborn child under mohammedan law is discussed along with peoples opinion and importance of transfer of self acquired property and absoluteness of section 13 of transfer of property act , 1882 . The statistical data used by the researcher is correlation analysis and graphical representation.The sample size is 200 and the sampling method is convenient sampling.

DATA ANALYSIS

FIGURE 1

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON PARENTAL LEAVE SYSTEM AND THE NEED FOR PATERNITY LEAVE - A GLOBAL ASPECT. By - Jaisri Y R, Harnita Prasad & Harini C

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AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON PARENTAL LEAVE SYSTEM AND THE NEED FOR PATERNITY LEAVE - A GLOBAL ASPECT. By - Jaisri Y R, Harnita Prasad & Harini C

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