How govt, private companies can come to the rescue of pregnant women employees

Meet Indian women, the new superhumans! As much as we would want to believe that she has moved away from the shackles of the traditional beliefs, only the reverse is true as going to work is an additional role she plays today, not the sole one, while managing all the other avatars that are expected of her. That of a doting mother, caring daughter, loving wife, humble and abiding daughter-in-law, and the list can go on.

So what if she is subjected to the same pressure or more at work as her husband, the Indian patriarchal mindset puts the primary responsibility of care giving solely on her, whether it is caring for young children, the elderly or running a home. It’s not a surprise then, that especially during pregnancy, an overwhelming number of female employees are dropping out of the workforce every year in India for lack of a support ecosystem.

To this effect, the recent move by the government to increase the maternity leave of pregnant women working in private companies from 12 to 26 weeks is just the beginning step towards change. But are 6 months of maternity leave just about enough? To put a nursing child in a daycare, knowing he can barely sit, or crawl and is at the mercy of nannies who don’t know him, can rip any mother apart. If you note the World Health Organization recommendations, it suggests exclusive breastfeeding for babies up to six months old, saying it reduces child mortality and has proven health benefits that extend into adulthood. Yet, only 47% of Indian mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first six months, compared with 70% in neighbouring Nepal and 76% in Sri Lanka. Those who are working are left struggling to find a daycare close to office, so that they can hop in during lunch, sneak out for a feed or two. It’s really a shame.

How the government and companies can play a huge role to fill this gap:

Even as Indian companies are yet to fully embrace the culture of flexible work or recognise the cultural challenges that come from operating in a country like India, the government can facilitate it by making it must for companies to set up basic minimum infrastructure at every workplace for pregnant mothers:

-a crèche with trained staff for mothers to be rest assured while they are at work
-place to express milk so that their kids get breastmilk even when mothers are away from them
-computers/laptops connected with CCTV footage of crèche area for parents to be able to keep a minute-to-minute watch on their kids while at work
-work-from-home facilities so that they are able to deliver work as well as manage lactating kids.

These measures can keep women away from feeling forced to quit their jobs. The recent stats by World Economic Forum shows India has 24 per cent women in the workforce, one of the few countries in which participation is actually shrinking. At the same time, it is also well known that organisations that create and maintain a well-managed, diverse workforce, on average, outperform those which don’t. In India, a few companies have been quick to realize this. In order to retain talent and maintain gender diversity, Flipkart offers an extended maternity leave of 24 weeks and also four months of flexi working hours. Accenture has recently announced that it will grant its employees five months maternity leave from three weeks.

What about the role of Indian fathers in child rearing?

India is still far away from East European and Scandinavian countries which have gone just beyond maternity leaves. Even as maternity leave extends beyond six months, it is matched with paternity leaves there. Fathers are considered equally important as mothers when it comes to raising a child. Take for example parents in Britain who have been made eligible to share 12 months of leave after the birth of a child. In Sweden, they have enjoyed that right since 1974. In Asia, Japan offers a year’s unpaid leave to each parent and South Korea allows both parents partially paid parental leave for up to one year. In Europe, new mothers mostly get between 14 and 22 weeks, and new fathers between two days (Greece) and three months (Italy) of paid leave.

Research shows moms and dads bring different strengths and styles as parents, and these roles complement each other. Kids need equal love, support, and involvement from both their parents. Perhaps it’s time we start thinking about paternity leaves as well, so that raising a kid is not the sole responsibility of a mother as it has deemed to be for decades. As a society, we must realize that women are not superhumans. It’s easier said than done, but focus on paternity leaves may help in shifting the mindset and creating a more level playing field where society, government and companies, everyone looks at women and men in the same light.