Does she really need more maternity leave?

Retaining Talent: There is a strong case for improvement of maternity policies in India and their strict enforcement, too. In the current economic scenario where getting good talent is hard, it is pertinent that companies embark on measures to retain employees, argues Rajkumar G K

On December 28, 2015, a proposal to increase maternity leave from the current 12 weeks to 26 weeks was introduced by Women and Child Development Ministry. The proposal brought the subject of maternity leave once again in the public domain, with a spotlight on the high number of women leaving the workforce due to a variety of factors, particularly childbirth and family responsibilities. With women constituting 24% of the workforce and only 5% of women being able to climb the ladder, these numbers reveal the malaise that is dogging the Indian corporate sector.

In the current economic scenario where getting good talent is hard, it is pertinent that companies embark on necessary measures required to retain women talent. While many organisations are now offering women employees maternity leave with a mix of pre- and post-natal leave that range from 6 months to a year, some are still following the previous norm of a 3-month maternity leave. 

The ambit of maternity leave is now expanding to include childbirth through surrogacy and adoption to cover all aspects of childbirth and child rearing. Also, one can see fathers taking on more responsibility as well. As a result, what was once viewed as a ‘woman’s domain’ is now changing its course. It is now an accepted wisdom that the father’s involvement since the conception of pregnancy cements the bond between dad and child.  Increasingly, many expectant fathers want to be present at the time of childbirth, as this experience helps them to become a better parent.

Changing attitudes
Co-parenting will help to assuage the pressures of raising the child and fortify the husband-wife bond. The introduction and reinforcement of paternity leave will enable the creation of an ecosystem, which will help the successful uptake of 6-month maternity leave policy. Globally, offering parental leave, especially maternal leave, is a norm rather than exception. While Bulgaria offers the longest maternal leave of 58 weeks, women working in the UK and Australia receive a year of leave. Their colleagues in France and Singapore are entitled for 16 weeks of paid absence.

Surprisingly, women employed in United States of America have no provision of paid maternity leave. 

Maternal and child health is impacted by the variety of factors like pregnancy at work, access to maternity rights and maternity leave. Good nutrition during pregnancy and lactation, exclusive breast feeding for the first 6 months of life and appropriate complementary feeding practices, and a balanced diet during infancy, can all provide the building blocks for the child’s optimum physical and mental development. It is, therefore, prudent that maternity leave should be at least for a period of 6 months to ensure the wellbeing of the child and mother.

The buck doesn’t stop here. Raising a child is a mammoth task, which entails alteration of lifestyle and attitudes. Once women return to work, they are confronted with a new problem: childcare. While there have been a number of childcare facilties coming up in the last couple of years, there are no laws governing the same. And most, majority of couples will agree, are exorbitantly priced.

From the national perspective, having women in the workforce will show a positive outcome on a country’s economy. India’s total national income is projected to increase by 16 to 20% if women join the workforce. It can help to accelerate the growth in sectors which are grappling with talent.

There is evidence that gender diverse workforces have a positive bearing on the company’s bottom line. The economic condition of the individual household also stands to profit from the second source of income. The elevation in monetary status will have a deeper impact with far-reaching consequences.

There is a strong case for improvement of maternity policies in India and their strict enforcement, too. Women who avail maternity leave and other benefits should be accepted whole heartedly, especially by their male peers. Companies should dovetail their workplace safety, working conditions and workload in such a way that it becomes easy for pregnant and new mothers to resume work. Those who fail to do so will see an exodus of talent.

(The author is HR director, Danone India)