Gone are those days when child rearing was the sole responsibility of only women, particularly the mother. Today, newbie fathers are actively engaging in the affairs of their newborn babies. In India, paternity leave, though important, is seldom spoken of. However, as companies get progressive and HR policies evolve, many companies are now incorporating ‘Paternal Leaves’ to new Dads so that they can share the responsibility of taking care and raising their newborns along with the mother.Daddy At WorkGiven the big talk of having these implemented, it is yet a joyous fact that many companies such as Microsoft, Starbucks, and Infosys to name a few have ventured into the ambit of acknowledging the importance of paternal leaves.Sunil Sharma, Co-Founder & Partner, Kickstart Placements shares how Indian society, for a long time, believed firmly in the ‘role division’ concept based on patriarchal notions.He quips, “This has now been going through a paradigm shift, strongly favouring well-formulated HR Policy changes supporting paternal leaves in general.”With nuclear families, “Paternal Leave” is the need of the hour along with Maternal Leave. Sunil stresses the importance of incorporating Paternal Leave into HR policies. “Such leaves would lead to the strengthening of bonds between both the parents as they comfortably share responsibilities and emotional pursuits of their newborn,” Sunil says.Bond BenefitsShruti Shah, Founder & Psychologist, of Holistic Mind Therapy says, “Paternal leave can have numerous benefits, especially in the Indian context where traditional gender roles often dictate parenting responsibilities.” Paternity leave serves to provide that ‘much deserved’ comfort and break that converts itself into a pathway for most fathers. This allows newbie fathers to experience the initial days of fatherhood, the joy and anxiety that kicks in along with those cherished moments with their little ones that help build a deeper connection.Not just that. The very availability of the father for a child speaks volumes. “A father’s presence allows mothers to recover better, both physically and emotionally as they share caregiving responsibilities,” explains Shruti Shah.While this ‘dual-dynamics’ kicks in, such initiatives also help challenge societal norms, encouraging equal participation from partners involved, and contributing to an overall balanced household dynamic.Growing ImportanceShruti says that paternal leaves touch into broader societal themes where the importance of shared responsibilities in raising a child dispels the notion that caregiving is primarily a woman’s duty.Explaining that maternal leaves allow mothers to step back from a chaotic work-life culture to recover better from childbirth. Leaves enabling fathers to support their partners and provide for their little ones gives a boost to the entire concept of togetherness and caregiving.Shruti opines that India too, is progressing towards a similar trajectory of accepting shared parenting roles that has led to a positive shift in how Indian families and households perceive and value such leaves. She adds, “When both parents are present during the early stages, it alleviates stress, prevents burnout, and fosters a cooperative environment.”While there are companies that have ventured into the narrow ambit of paternal leaves, there are legal loopholes when it comes to legislative statutes in place. Advocate Yash N Jangam, Partner at Sunita Jangam Divorce Law Firm opines that India currently lacks any specific laws regulating paternity leaves in general. “As of now the provisions of paternity leaves are broadly determined by individual company policies or HR guidelines which may not be uniform across organizations,” says Advocate Yash.Speaking of the enforceability of such laws pertaining to paternal leaves, Advocate Yash explains that this is for individual companies to decide and implement. However, he draws a fine line of distinction here that if the individual is a Central government employee then under the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972 male employees of the Central Government are entitled to 15 days of paternity leave. This could go up to six months from the date of childbirth or adoption of a child (below the age of one year)The Way AheadWhile companies seem to be latching on to adaptive modes of leaves, there’s yet a long way to go when it comes to providing adequate relief to newbie Daddy Cool. Sunil is optimistic about the ongoing initiatives by private companies. He adds, “I expect a lot more companies to embrace such initiatives. This not just improves the personal dynamics between couples and newbie parents but more so, externally enhances the company’s employee-friendly image leading to a happy and productive team overall.”
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