Published Friday, December 7, 2007 at 14:06
by
Editor
(1631 views and 9 comments)
‘Maternity leave’ is usually the way that we describe the period of absence that workers are entitled to when they have a child. But who says that it has to be the mother who takes the entire leave?
In many European countries parental leave is a ‘woman’s business’. Maternity leave easily becomes a trap for women – in her new role as mother the woman is gradually moved away from the workplace and the labour market. Problems such as women’s lower wages and the fact that women advance less can easily be traced back to maternity leave and being absent from the workplace for many months – in some cases even years!
One of the smaller European countries, Iceland, has taken an active approach to dealing with the ‘dark side’ of maternity leave. By law Icelandic men are obliged to take a part of the leave, giving women the chance to return to their jobs more quickly. At the same time the law ensures fathers the right to spend time and have a closer relationship with their children.
What do you think the PES manifesto should say about parental leave – if anything at all? Should men be forced into taking up and sharing more family responsibilities - or?
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Comments
1. Also a question of fathers' rights by Asynjen
on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 10:18
http://thesurface.blogspot.com/2007/12/yes-dads-would-like-to-stay-at-home-too.html
From my perspective Icelandic model sounds excellent - for both women and men. In my home country men still experience to be harrassed or ridiculed by their co-workers and colleagues when they ask for parental leave.
So I think parental leave for men is definetely something that the PES manifesto should suggest.
2. the icelandic model seems like a great alternative to so many bad ones but... by neonpop on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 13:57
...what we really want is a change in the culture, as Asynjen also implies.
we want fathers to WANT and DEMAND maternity leave and we want fathers to be able to want it without experiencing harrashment.
i don't think it should be a governmental decision, really. nevertheless, until we have a cultural change - let's go for the icelandic model.... :)
so, yes - i also think parental leave for men is something that the PES manifesto should suggest.
3. Here's another opinion - from a father! by Asynjen
on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 11:24
http://thesurface.blogspot.com/2007/12/guest-post-good-to-talk-about-dads-for.html
4. Make it easier for women to combine career and children by lolomodrego
on Sunday, January 6, 2008 at 00:27
I'm not sure making anything compulsory is the solution. First and foremost we should help women who want to combine raising children and working. Key to that is the development of day-care facilities for children. Companies could get fiscal incentives for organising their own children day-care facilities for example.
5. CaféBabel forum on the topic of gender equality by lolomodrego
on Sunday, January 6, 2008 at 00:34
A dialogue in 4 languages has been going on in a CaféBabel forum on the topic for a few months now. Check it out!
6. CaféBabel forum on the topic of gender equality by lolomodrego
on Sunday, January 6, 2008 at 00:36
woops... here's the Babel forum website: http://community.cafebabel.com/forum/topic/42/7. It's not sufficient by Asynjen
on Monday, January 7, 2008 at 10:04
Lolomodrego: I completely agree that proper childcare - provided by the state or the employer - is vital to women on the labour market. But at the same thing I think my home country is a perfect example of this not being enough: in Denmark we have public childcare at affordable prices but still it is women who take the largest 'chunk' of parental leave. In my opinion we need stronger measures - laws - to encourage cultural change.8. Family friendly policies are needed! by pattheact
on Monday, January 7, 2008 at 12:07
I agree with Asynien when she states that we probably need stronger measures and probably implemented with laws, even if I would prefer men to realize what their new responsibilities are and will become.
The challenge of demographic change ( Europe doesn't infant enough babies to renew the generations and we will surely run into huge economic problems when it comes to paying pensions if the situation doesn't improve) is one of the really big challenges for our society and time is running away. We cannot wait for men and women to realize that they need to change their perspective when it comes to the definition of their parental roles. We need to facilitate the access of the labor market to women, we need to guarantee their job security once they take maternal leave, we need to strongly encourage fathers to take a part of the parental leave and through this underline the new repartition of tasks we need to finally change mentalities, we must massively invest in high quality, affordable and accessible child care facilities in order to guarantee the best possible integration and education for our children, allowing parents to combine private, professional and family life in the best possible way, we need to encourage companies and the private sector (through fiscal incentives f.ex.) to adopt family friendly policies in order to facilitate parents and employees to cope with the high level of involvment and commitment companies are expecting from them and finally we need to effectively impose equal salaries between women and man as this will strongly underline that women are no longer penalized for being mothers!
I have the feeling that men have the impression of losing some of their virility or some of the completely old-fashioned (and conservative) position in society by accepting these changes and again they just need to change their perspective when looking at things...Instead of losing they will possibly gain something much more valuable in return : a closer relationship to their children and the respect from women. Two things men very often desperatley try to gain by using the wrong and probably way too expensive techniques to get them!
I urge the PES to include strong measures facilitating a needed change of mentalities when it comes to raising chirdren and promote family friendly policies in their manifesto.
9. You 'll never change minds by Laws! by chourka
on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at 10:14
Coercitive measures never work. Sorry for that, but it's a false way to proceed by Law. I agree on the massive investment for child care facilities. When it exists, demographical figures are pretty high (i.e. France) and level of women at work are high too. But, look at Germany and the debate on "schwärze Muttern" simply because it was in the interntion of the government to rise the number of facilities. Unfortunately, if having facilities is good, it doesn't solve the equality's question between genders on wage.
On the other hand, I am not comfortable with statement like "men do not want to take care of their children". Things are changing. May be slowly, and for sure too slowly, but it's evolving. On that issue, more than others, psychlogical aspects interfere with practical approach: men can state that women do not grant them enough room, that they are automatically "doing it the wrong way" or purely "not knowing how to do with children". I guess this debate exists for decades if not centuries...
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