The topic of parental leave is very sensitive, it is debated in many political and professional forums, and even President Obama mentioned it during his State of the Union address on January 20th. People always debate whether it is a right or a privilege? People argue very passionately either in favor or against these things, and there is also a disagreement about how much parental leave is enough; 2 weeks, 2 months, 6 months, or one year? One might find some of these numbers irrational or ridiculous but if we accept that parenting is a full-time job then it is often difficult to decide how much time is required for parents to leave their kid with someone else and come back to work. I personally believe that parenting is a personal responsibility of respective parents, after all, they decide to become parents based on their own priorities. Once they decide to become a parent, it is their job to figure out how to take care of their child. There is no doubt that any help from their employer or government is going to definitely help them to go through the initial demanding days of parenting and that is where this issue runs into rough waters. How much help is enough? Is this one of the reasons many small businesses (or even big ones) hesitate to hire women? Can this gap due to maternity leave be harmful to the progress of any woman's professional career? Can this policy of mandatory parental leave affect the productivity of small businesses? There are many questions related to this issue that are up for debate. I think policymakers need to take into consideration these questions before making any law regarding this issue.
Every parent needs some assistance during the initial days after childbirth as the work is both physically and mentally challenging. Women also need time to recover physically so there is no doubt that they need maternity leave before they come back to work. Parenting is the responsibility of both parents so the father also needs to have an option of paternity leave so that he can take care of his responsibility as a parent during those initial days. I am sure policymakers must have done research before deciding on the duration of parental leave. There are also professional childcare options available for parents who don't want to take any leave. It should be entirely their choice. If parents, especially mothers chose not to take their entire maternity leave and join work much before then they should not be looked upon as insensitive parents (recent controversy related to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is an example of this). Everyone should be free to use or not to use the option of parental leave based on their own needs and priorities. There is no gold standard that everyone should follow, we should respect every parent's style of parenting without being judgmental. It is okay to offer recommendations and suggestions but it is up to the respective parents to accept or reject them. Every parent has a right to develop and follow their own style of parenting. I have seen personally some parents inventing new ways to deal with some of the problems they faced during parenting and it helped them to reduce the stress of parenting.
I personally believe that parental leave should be a part of every professional package so that prospective parents (especially mothers) don't have to choose between parenthood and career. It should be considered as a right but even if for some reason it is not then it can be offered as a special privilege, especially by big organizations who can afford to implement this policy. Doesn't matter how it is offered; a right or a special privilege it will help organizations to keep talented people in their workforce. It will help women to plan their careers without worrying about the effect of their pregnancy on their professional life. Parents also need to use this option responsibly. They need to plan in such a way that it doesn't hurt their company's productivity. If both parties involved behave responsibly then I think parental leave can benefit both, organizations as well as parents equally.
Every parent needs some assistance during the initial days after childbirth as the work is both physically and mentally challenging. Women also need time to recover physically so there is no doubt that they need maternity leave before they come back to work. Parenting is the responsibility of both parents so the father also needs to have an option of paternity leave so that he can take care of his responsibility as a parent during those initial days. I am sure policymakers must have done research before deciding on the duration of parental leave. There are also professional childcare options available for parents who don't want to take any leave. It should be entirely their choice. If parents, especially mothers chose not to take their entire maternity leave and join work much before then they should not be looked upon as insensitive parents (recent controversy related to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is an example of this). Everyone should be free to use or not to use the option of parental leave based on their own needs and priorities. There is no gold standard that everyone should follow, we should respect every parent's style of parenting without being judgmental. It is okay to offer recommendations and suggestions but it is up to the respective parents to accept or reject them. Every parent has a right to develop and follow their own style of parenting. I have seen personally some parents inventing new ways to deal with some of the problems they faced during parenting and it helped them to reduce the stress of parenting.
I personally believe that parental leave should be a part of every professional package so that prospective parents (especially mothers) don't have to choose between parenthood and career. It should be considered as a right but even if for some reason it is not then it can be offered as a special privilege, especially by big organizations who can afford to implement this policy. Doesn't matter how it is offered; a right or a special privilege it will help organizations to keep talented people in their workforce. It will help women to plan their careers without worrying about the effect of their pregnancy on their professional life. Parents also need to use this option responsibly. They need to plan in such a way that it doesn't hurt their company's productivity. If both parties involved behave responsibly then I think parental leave can benefit both, organizations as well as parents equally.
Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.
[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]
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