Paternity Leave For Men?

Paternity leave for men? Arguably, this is the most cheering news we have heard in the country lately.
For many months the media have been inundated with all manner of negative stories – incessant killing of innocent Nigerians by herdsmen across the nation, persistent acute fuel scarcity that has made life hellish for the citizens and many others.
One is, therefore, pleased that in the midst of the seemingly hopeless situation, an organization could introduce a policy that would lessen the burden of some citizens especially the nursing mothers and also help in strengthening family tie.
According to a recent news report, starting from last month, male employees of Access Bank Plc can now enjoy paternity leave. That is part of an enhanced parental leave policy that extends paid benefit to all mothers and fathers, including adoptive and surrogate parents.
The bank, in a statement, said the new policy which is the first by a Nigerian bank, offers one week fully paid paternity leave to male employees and allow them to care for their offspring and spend some quality time with their family while supporting the new mother who needs the break.
Indeed, this is a policy that should be adopted by all government and private organisations in the country. It is a policy that should be fought for by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other labour unions in the country instead of always bickering over frivolous, selfish reasons.
Is the one week leave sufficient? No. It can be improved on as it applies in many advanced nations, particularly the Scandinavian countries. In Norway, for instance, nine out of 10 fathers take at least 12 weeks of paid paternity leave. In Sweden, the least period for paternity leave is eight weeks. Similarly, in the United States of America, a new parent can take up to 12 weeks leave though without pay. Only a couple of states have mandated paid parental leave.
However, knowing the level of challenges this wonderful period presents, one week paternity leave cannot be a bad idea. Many mothers experience emotional, psychological and physical stress in the early days of raising a child. With the harsh economic state of the country, not many couples can afford the services of a nanny. Besides, a lot of people who can afford it are skeptical about engaging nannies going by ugly stories associated with them these days.
In the same vein, not many have the privilege of having their family members come to help in taking care of the new born. So the whole pressure falls on the mother who has to nurse her newborn, cater for the older children (if any) and even her husband. The stress can be relieved by the dad stepping in to play that role.
Incidentally, ours is a society where many still have the notion that only women care for children. The paternity leave policy will therefore help in correcting the erroneous perception and enable more fathers be involved in parenting.
The good thing is that the father’s active role in the child’s early life goes beyond the one week paternity. It lays a foundation for strong bonding with the child.
As noted by the Head Group, Human Resources of Access Bank, Bolaji Agbede, “Studies have shown that fathers who take paternity leave are more likely to take an active role in child-care tasks and will continue to play this role long after the period of leave had ended”.
Similarly, many researches have shown that in most cases, children of such fathers can be better off for having involved dads in their lives. The kids do better in schools; they get into less trouble and have better health, among others. So paternity leave doesn’t just help the family, it also helps the society.
In a country like Nigeria where cultism, armed robbery and other social vices associated with young ones thrive, what better way to curb them than through policies like paternity leave which encourage fathers to start in the right foot?
By taking paternity leave, fathers can prove that they can do more than just providing the material needs for their families. Invariably, that will make them happier and more fulfilled. The mothers and kids will also be happy, thereby making the families and the larger society a happy place to dwell.
So, as stated earlier, other employers of labour should emulate this policy. Let there be national paternity policy that will mandate organisations to give at least two weeks paternity leave to the new dads. Its social benefits are quite enormous as have been constantly supported by research. Nongovernmental organisations, civil society groups, faith based organisations, professional groups and others are expected to join in advocating for this policy which benefits all.

Calista Ezeaku