When Jatinder (who goes by one particular name only) and Aastha had been expecting their second youngster earlier this year, Jatinder decided to take a two-week paternity leave, even if it meant missing out on crucial conferences. Family, he figured, was his priority.
“I knew I was about to miss an important conference, but being with my wife was priceless,” says the 40-year-old IT manager from London. “During the birth of my first child (who is 10 years old now), I used to travel a lot and my wife Aastha was home alone taking care of him, so this time, I didn’t want to miss any moment. Most importantly, the feeling and experience at the start of a journey together help strengthen the relationship with the newborn.”
Half a planet away in Gurugram, computer software qualified Kunal Sharma (name changed on request) echoes a comparable sentiment. The 39-year-old became a father for the initial time in April in the middle of the lockdown. “During the pregnancy, people told us how kids change everything. I assumed that to be true, but I did not realise it would change how I view work and life,” Sharma says. “It changed how I view benefits at work. As a millennial dad, I am more involved in raising my boy. Work from home (WFH) has given me the flexibility to be 100% involved with my kid. We share the day’s tasks and responsibilities, and are able to spend time with the child,” he says. “As a nuclear family working couple, we don’t have the luxury of large joint family setups… all the more reason that I need time off from work to be with my wife and son. Thankfully, organisations today recognise this need.” Sharma says his firm permitted him to extend his 10-day paternity leave to more than two months.
Across the planet, as the pandemic shows no indicators of abating, an growing quantity of males are realising that loved ones comes prior to something else. The meeting that got cancelled can be rescheduled, the targets accomplished later, and tasks that remained incomplete can be taken up a different day. But the smell of a newborn, their initial smile, the initial cry, the initial turn on the bed, the initial coo, the initial time they hold your fingers is some thing that will by no means take place once more. And they are realising that it is worth placing every thing else on hold for. Not only for the lifetime encounter it presents, but also to recognize and appreciate the function of the mother much better and assistance her in the most testing time of her life—all the more crucial in the case of nuclear households.
Women have played the function of designated caregivers for millennia, assisting males ease into fatherhood, but this is altering now. In a surprising but welcome choice final month, cricketer Virat Kohli announced that he would be leaving the Indian team’s ongoing Australian tour midway to join his wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their initial youngster in January. The choice divided the cricketing fraternity in the nation, earned Kohli each praise and criticism, and reignited the debate more than paternity leave in India. Former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal named it “a progression” and Australian opener David Warner, as well, commended the choice. On the other hand, former Indian all-rounder and World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev mentioned, “Sunil Gavaskar didn’t see his son for many months. It was a different thing… things change. It’s fine, you can afford it. You can buy a plane and go back and come back again in three days… I understand you have passion, but the biggest passion is that he’s having a baby,” Dev mentioned more than video conference at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in November.
Paradigm shift
According to the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, which was amended in 2017, girls personnel are entitled to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave. Up to eight of these 26 weeks can be claimed prior to childbirth. However, in 2017, Rajiv Satav, former Congress MP from Maharashtra, had proposed a Paternity Benefit Bill in Lok Sabha, but to no avail. The bill, which emphasises upon equal parental rewards for each parents, proposes that all workers, like these in the unorganised and private sector, can avail paternity leave of 15 days, extendable up to 3 months. The bill was proposed as a private member bill in the Parliament.
Globally, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Estonia and Portugal supply the greatest loved ones-friendly policies amongst 31 wealthy nations, according to a 2019 Unicef report. Finland, for instance, makes it possible for seven months of paid parental leave to each parents, when in Sweden, parents get 480 days of paid leave that can be split in between the couple as they want. Each of them ought to, having said that, ought to take at least 90 days’ leave.
“Paternity leave is a vicious circle in terms of Indian labour laws. It needs time and thoroughness to help fathers who are not able to take one. Every country has specific laws for it and similar to some European nations, it would benefit if equal period of leave is sanctioned to new fathers. I had availed two-week paternity leave during the birth of my son in November 2018 and it was an exhilarating experience. It is a lot of responsibility, mental and physical strain, and even as a father, one goes through a lot of changes. Hence, a significant period of time to recuperate just like a mother could be beneficial. In India, with a changing economic era and exposure to one’s physical being and mental wellness, the role of paternity is being recognised and this is a positive change that needs to be ushered holistically,” says Delhi-primarily based Shiby John. The 34-year-old performs as a course of action consultant in a private multinational corporation in the telecom sector.
John is correct, as paternity leave, specially longer leave, assists fathers bond with their young children much better, assists in the wholesome development of the infant, lowers the threat of postpartum depression in mothers and outcomes in higher gender equality.
Rethinking roles
Gone are the days when infant-care was treated as only the mother’s duty and Srinivas Rao K, director of human sources at information analytics firm SAS India, has felt the alter in the air. “Gender equality is a key ingredient of the modern world that requires both parties to take equal responsibility in delivering their duties,” says Rao, whose firm presents a two-week paternity leave to male personnel. “A father is a symbol of strength, support and a role model in the formative years of a child’s life as much as a mother. At SAS, we conduct sessions by specialists—on effective parenting and challenges of parenthood—for all employees across all levels. Counselling support in dealing with parenthood besides paternity leave and a flexible work policy to enable employees to take a break and be with family on special occasions are a few important steps as part of HR policies,” says Rao.
In the planet that is deeply patriarchal by default, gender relations and attitudes have gradually began becoming more fluid. InterGlobe Enterprises, an aviation and hospitality conglomerate, is a different firm that has understood the require for this alter. The firm encourages all its male personnel to avail 5 paternity leaves inside 30 days of childbirth. “The roles of men and women have become more egalitarian when it comes to jobs, housework or childcare,” says KS Bakshi, group head of HR at the Gurugram-primarily based firm. He feels fathers have a considerably unique style of parenting from mothers and that distinction is crucial in the wholesome improvement of a youngster. “Both parenting styles balance and equip the future generation with a healthy and experienced approach to life.”
Amit Sharma, chief human sources officer at Bengaluru-primarily based automobile manufacturer Volvo Group India, feels a lot of his workplace managers who take leave for parent-teacher meetings, sports day, exams, kids’ birthdays, and so forth, and are vocal about it have set the tone for paternal care in the organisation. “Fatherhood is an essential part of parenting for the child to develop a balanced perspective towards life. Earlier, joint families had other members to take care and pitch in during a child’s formative years of development. Today, with both parents working, the child tends to miss out on the complementing energies. Thus, it is critical that both father and mother equally contribute towards parenting, so that the child grows up as a well-balanced personality,” says Sharma. Volvo Group India presents 3 weeks’ paternity leave to its personnel.
With education and employment amongst girls on the rise, equitable parenting will pave the way to assistance create a more balanced culture about work and loved ones, according to Navin Gurnaney, CEO, Tata Starbucks, which gives 15 working days’ paternity leave to personnel. Further, in case of any unfortunate incident exactly where the father becomes the major caregiver, this leave is extended to 26 weeks. “The conversation around paternity leave and fatherhood is gaining significant ground in India and is linked to better outcomes on nearly every measure of child well-being… the current scenario has changed many unconscious biases towards men. Men take more responsibility in household chores, raise kids and organisations like ours are sensitive and supportive towards these evolving needs,” he says.
In reality, the existing work-from-property situation has been an eye-opener for males. Many have witnessed, for the initial time in their lives, the quantity of work that goes into operating a residence. Aarif Aziz, chief human sources officer, Diageo India, says, “Men share the workload of household chores even more than before. When we announced our new family leave policy with maternity leave of 26 weeks, we also enhanced the paternity leave to four weeks. The employee testimonials speak volumes of how such organisational interventions act as an enabler and a catalyst for a better, balanced society.”
Still, it is early days for equal chance on the dual fronts of domestic and childcare responsibilities. Naturally then, there is a pressing require to speak about the function of fathers. Capgemini India has taken up the job to sensitise males and empower girls to practice equal duty sharing at property and work, by way of its numerous programmes, listening forums and a platform for leaders and their spouses to share experiences on how they are managing responsibilities in the new normal. “We believe the disrupted gendered social norms, catalysed by Covid-19, will be a positive post-coronavirus lesson. Recently at Capgemini, we conducted a session called A Balancing Act for colleagues and their partners. It saw participation of 180-plus colleagues and their partners across Capgemini locations in India, supported open conversations around the distribution of work, maintaining work-life balance, the importance of ‘me’ time and how the pandemic has challenged gender norms,” says Sarika Naik, chief marketing and advertising officer and chairperson for Diversity in India (for Capgemini), a French firm that gives consulting, technologies, qualified and outsourcing services.
Taking charge
A expanding quantity of firms have formulated policies about paternity leave soon after realising that it is a enterprise requirement today. They are becoming more loved ones-friendly, as they realise that safety, contentment and a much better work-life balance can outcome in much better productivity. Companies hunting for the greatest talent have also began providing policies that are favourable to young dads. Last year, Zomato produced waves soon after rolling out a 26-week paternity leave for its personnel. This is amongst the highest duration of paternity leave in India.
“Before my twins were born, I mostly had to balance my work life and free time. But fatherhood has been a life-changing experience. It has brought so many mixed emotions—joy, love, anxiety, fulfillment and responsibility,” says Karan Garg, common manager, industrial excellence, Diageo India, who availed his leave in January 2020. “Fortunately, balancing work and parenthood has been easier than anticipated. My team has been supportive through my journey of parenthood, even giving useful advice to be better prepared. The flexibility of taking one-month parental family leave policy is great in terms of the number of days of leave and the flexibility of when it can be taken. The time I was able to spend with them helped in bonding, being hands-on and enabled me to be an equal parent,” says the 37-year-old.
Microsoft US, as well, presents 20 weeks of paid leave for mothers who give birth and 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all other new parents, like these who adopt or take in foster young children. OTT platform Netflix presents a parental leave policy of 4-eight months, Deloitte US presents new dads 16 weeks of paid leave to male personnel.
Most multinational firms have brought in comparable policies to India. In 2015, when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared in a post that he would be availing a two-month paternity leave, he announced that international personnel would obtain 4 months of paid parental leave. “We want to be there for our people at all stages of life, and in particular we strive to be a leading place to work for families,” wrote Lori Matloff Goler, Facebook’s head of human sources, in a Facebook post.
Cap 1: Karan Garg, common manager, industrial excellence, Diageo India, availed paternity leave in January this year. The 37-year-old says the leave helped him be hands-on and enabled him to be an equal parent
Cap 2: (above) Delhi-primarily based Shiby John, who performs with an MNC in the telecom sector, availed two-week paternity leave for the birth of his son in November 2018, and discovered it to be an exhilarating encounter
Cap 3: (beneath) When 40-year-old IT manager Jatinder and Aastha had been expecting their second youngster earlier this year, Jatinder decided to take a two-week paternity leave from work even if it meant missing out on crucial conferences
Box: Companies that give paternity leave
Netflix Global 4-8 months’ parental leave
Zomato 26 weeks
Microsoft India 6 weeks
Diageo India 4 weeks
Volvo Group India 3 calendar weeks
Tata Starbucks 15 working days
SAS India 2 weeks
InterGlobe Enterprises 5 days inside 30 days of childbirth