PAID MATERNITY LEAVE

PAID MATERNITY LEAVE

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(Conversion to parental leave to benefit fathers): **

21.

Dr Lam Pin Min asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports if he will consider allowing the fourth month of paid maternity leave to be converted to parental leave, thereby allowing the flexibility for fathers to consume the leave entitlement.

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Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I agree that there is a need to enable and encourage both parents to share in the responsibility of looking after their children. Converting maternity leave to parental leave would allow either parent to take time off to care for their newborn. It also sends a message on the importance of shared parental responsibility.

The more fundamental and difficult challenge is the question of gender equality. In our society, women have equal rights to education and employment. We have legislated equal access to childcare and infant care leave for both fathers and mothers. However, both partners in a marriage must work out the optimal arrangements and division of responsibilities for their own families. We all know that men need to do more at home, but we cannot legislate this.

Consequently, before the Government considers legislating additional leave entitlements for working fathers, our social norms and behaviour must evolve. For example, fathers must be prepared to take on a larger role in child-caring, and these obligations must be recognized both at home and the workplace. We will also need to study the implications of such a change on employers, the employability of workers, and the needs of mothers. We will consider the proposal when the Government further reviews measures to encourage parenthood.

In the meantime, fathers of young children can tap 12 days of child-related leave provided for in legislation – six days of paid childcare leave and six days of unpaid infant care leave. Some employers also provide paternity leave on a voluntary basis. In addition, fathers may utilise their annual leave or agree on alternative work arrangements with their employers, such as part-time work or no-pay leave, to enable them to look after their children.

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