Mothers, fathers — and others

Why is ‘paid leave’ an entitlement only for parents of a newborn and not, for instance, for people with ageing parents or an ailing child? The Government debates extending maternity and paternity leave to ensure that both parents are involved with their child’s development ,and to avoid discriminating against a woman after she takes 12 (or, if amended, 26) weeks of paid maternity leave.

The idea is rooted in ensuring the comprehensive mental and physical development of the baby and the mother’s rightful passage back to work. But if you are a single person with an elderly parent or a married person who has chosen not to add one more life to an over-burdened planet, these paid leave discussions could leave you feeling a tad shortchanged.

No organisation views your absence from work to take care of an elderly parent with the same beneficence as it does taking time off to bring up a baby. Are we suggesting that one of these responsibilities is more important? In fact, having a child is a personal choice, like getting married is. It could be argued that both need to be done in your personal time. The idea is not to take away another’s benefits, which have been instituted for a reason. But it is time to consider a more equitable distribution of such rights and entitlements, without adding to employer cost.

A partly-paid system of ‘paid medical leave’ that is gender neutral and agnostic to the medical reasons is worth exploring. And it should be supported by medical insurance, for baby and ageing parent. Employees not entitled to maternity or paternity leave could be offered tax or other incentives. While this makes the workplace a level playing field, it also helps address a larger concern — a population of 1.3 billion and ticking.

Deputy Editor

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