Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave - Case Study Example

Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave Introduction: Giving successful birth to a child is considered as a sign of successful marriage in many parts of world (Country of Publication, 2005). Maternity is a state of being mother. It time starts when a girl becomes pregnant and carries fetus in her uterus. Maternity can also be related to the feelings of a mother when she starts conceiving a child in her womb. Maternity also relates to a social and legal acknowledgment for the parental relationship between mother and a child. Maternal bond is a relationship usually occurs between child and mother during pregnancy (Family Health Care, 2007). Maternity leave is a leave taken by mother in order to reproduce a child and after birth for child growth and self recovery. Financial pressure makes women to join their job soon after their delivery. Paid maternity is something relates to financial support for mother and baby during hard days of delivery. Parental leave is an employee benefit for the growth of child (Family Health Care, 2007). It provides paid or unpaid time off to all employees in order to take care of their child during and after pregnancy. This leave is also concern with the arrangement made for child’s future. In number of western countries, parental leave is available for those employees who have worked with certain employer number of years. Paid maternity and leave makes employee comfortable and enables him to work without any worries. Sweden is country which provides generous parental leave. In Sweden all employees are entitled for about 18 months paid leave for the growth of their child. The cost during this period being shared between employer and state (Paediatrica, 2003). Bulgaria has even more generous parental acts, in Bulgaria, single mothers and pregnant women’s cannot be fired and they offer 2 years paid leave and one year additional unpaid leave, 3 months for father on birth of child however, paid leave is offer to only one parent at a time, nowadays there is an extreme push to increase paid maternity leave in United States. Paternity is acknowledged refers to father and child relationship (Health and Development, 2001). Once a father has established paternity, and he wants to be a part of child growing. A father can be a part of child’s upbringing by filing his relationship and parental rights to file parenting plan. Under state law there is a need requires father to file a parenting plan which states how parents will share responsibilities of child, decision for child and other matters. Paid maternity in Australia: The Australian nursing federation stated that productivity commission’s report on paid maternity now realized the need and importance of paid maternity and parental leave for mothers and families. According to resources due to working and financial pressure women are bound to join their duties soon after child birth which give them stress, anxiety and other related problems, it also affects their efficiency a lot. There are three major domains in which paid maternity in Australia issue can be categorized. 1) Social welfarisim 2) Industrial welfares 3) Neo liberalism. Paid maternity leave in Australia is important because due to some policies 50% women have no access to paid maternity leaves. There are some eligibility requirements which every one must have to fulfill in order to avail paid maternity program. Australia is one of the developed countries which does not offer paid maternity leave program. Leave are important because in past few years women has increased taking part in economic development and their career supports a lot in order to develop nations. The proportion of men engaged in home duties and caring roles has increased significantly, albeit from a very small base. Community attitudes have been changes a lot about appropriate gender roles. It is important as young child deserves a good start in life , parents requires support for having a child, parents wants some balance between home and employment in paid work, taxpayers without children do not deserve to pay for the needs of other parents, strong and successful business deserve fair opportunity to be viable. It is also a human right of all employees to have support for having a child. Incongruities between the public and private worlds of work and family are an obstacle to gender equality, family formation and parents’ capacity to reconcile paid work with family. Paid maternity and parental leave is important for the sake of equity and work family balance. Dealing with issue of parental rights is little difficult but paid maternity gives thousand of benefits to parents. Paid maternity leave assist cost of having a child. Paid maternity leave encourages women to plan a child. Paid maternity would assist to reduce attritions, Women contributed 30 % of family income in Australia and government argues that at present Australian economy don’t allow offering paid maternity leave to all employees. In past few years women has become a great part of Australian economy and through out the year they contribute their efforts in development of Australia. Women maternity leave is important in order to increase their efficiency and to give them time to retain their body shape in order to make them capable of work. Women play an important part in Australian economy but due to their reproductive role they are restricted to be at home for some time in order to born a child. Current situation: There are only two countries in this developed world which do not provide paid maternity leave. Federal government argument states that Australian government cannot provide paid maternity leave in Australia. According to current situation it cannot clearly stated that how many working women have access to paid maternity leave and how many organizations provide maternity leave however in some organization maternity leave is offered up to 14 weeks. Equal Opportunities in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) indicates that only 34 per cent of all workplaces, and 23 per cent of private sector organizations, offer paid maternity leave. Further more, there is no further analysis available about the duration of paid leave available. Maternity leave is a rare occurrence in the potential working life of female employees. There are three schemes of paid maternity leave in Australia which are as follows: Individual employer paid Payment from general revenue Social insurance funding. According to maternity leave act 1973 Australia allows 12 weeks paid maternity leave and 4 week unpaid leave. In 1978 acts were amended removing the maternity leave and other changes were made. In Australia only 39% female employees’ access to pay maternity leaves of some form. There are some current programs in Australia regarding paid parental and maternity leave. The government mended right to 52 weeks paid maternity leave facilities workforce attachment. It also provides number of employer’s right to join their job back after having a child. At the time of birth, $5000 is payable, it would be tax free form January 2009, and it will be paid in 13 fortnightly installments and means-tested to families earning less than $150 000 per annum. De Facto parental leave provides baby bonus and guarantee to join back jobs. Employer provides parental leave is available to 50% working women. In addition,, the entire assistance structure is among the most progressive in the OECD in the extent to which assistance is directed to low income families with children and number or women has recently commenced providing paid maternity and parental leave. Paid Maternity Leave Standards - Public Sector Award/EBA Provisions C’wealth Vic Old WA Tas SA NSW Paid Maternity Leave 12 wks 12 wks 6 wks None 12 wks 2 wks 9 wks Father has equal importance in growth of child and there are only 67% fathers who can take parental leave in Australia. In which 45% have access to paid parental leave. Parental leave is important a child needs father in his growing age. Funded Scheme in Australia: There is no funded scheme today at present in order to relief pregnant mothers or women today because number of employers does not realize the importance of paid leave and parental leave for the efficiency and productivity of employee (Dex, 1999). In December 2002, human rights and equal commission recommendation in December states that no such scheme for paid maternity has been introduced in Australia and this scheme is remain politically and economically controversial. New equity changes are required in Australia for pregnant working women. Number of presentations is available which focuses on human rights and equality and differences and places the rights and needs of working women at its core. Short and unpaid maternity leave instigates women to join their jobs soon after delivery. Financial problems bring women back to work too soon after delivery. Breastfeeding is also become less because of women work hours. During early days after child birth child needs most of mother’s milk for his health and better growth but due to short and unpaid maternity leave women would not be able to breastfeed their child soon after delivery. Number of employees does not think that maternity leave and paid pregnancy leave is necessary in order to make family relationship strong and to make employees productivity better. In order to examine maternity leave as a gendered conflict management process, with the aid of interview and surveys it has been proved that 26% women feel discourage to plan a baby during their jobs(Callister. 2005). Most of the women do not feel comfortable about their employment status and career opportunities during their leave. 36% women feel that their less maternity leave and unpaid leave increases stress and anxiety in them which decreases their efficiency. Maternity leave is contested issue which can be viewed by number of perspectives. These issues are not restricted but some of them are as follows: the health and wellbeing of mothers and children; child development; family formation and functionality; the needs of businesses and employers; women’s labor-force Attachment and career progression; and gender equity in paid employment and Household. Productivity commission Draft Report: The Productivity Commission is the Australian Government’s independent research and advisory body on a range of economic, social and environmental issues affecting the welfare of Australians. Its role, expressed simply, is to help governments make better policies in the long term interest of the Australian community. (Source: Productivity Commission Website.)’ Productivity commission draft report suggests 18 weeks government funded leave in addition to existence of any employee funded scheme. But it also restrict employee to submit $75 million a year in superannuation payments. Proposed Scheme of Productivity Commission: Commission proposed model suggest 18 weeks parental leave and it is concern after some period of other continuous leave avail at the birth of child and in addition 2 weeks leave will also be available as parental leave. The adult minimum wage currently $543 of each week leave regardless of pre birth leaves. Leave would be would be fully tax payer financed. An employer would initially pay their employees. Employers to fund capped superannuation entitles to long term employees eligible for leave. Average weekly 10 hours of hour with continuous environment of work the scheme will cover all employees who met above status. In order to get superannuation entitlements employee must also be eligible for unpaid parental leave under the National Employment Standards. Eligible mothers can transfer her paid parental leave rights to father under some limitations. Partners who meet the above test criteria can also access this program; paternity leave would be available to fathers if the mother is not eligible for statutory paid leave. Adoptive parents can get access to leave for children of any age. This scheme promotes breastfeeding and to newborn children. Families who could not meet the requirements would be able receive baby bonus of $5000. This approach deals with both burden of parents and taxpayers. Full direct employers will finance this scheme. DRAFT RECOMMENDATION 2.4 The statutory paid parental leave scheme should be available for an employed parent (including the self-employed and contractors): who has worked an average of at least ten hours a week on a continuous basis, for 12 months or more prior to the expected birth date of the baby, and • who is also the primary career of their baby. Fathers can take parental leave any time from the birth of child till 6months. Only one transfer between parents will be allowed. Why 18 weeks? Due to child and mother health 18 weeks are proposed .new born needs special care and attention in starting weeks and mother also needs some time to recover. Following are some arguments about paid leave: On a given paid leave longer duration of leave increases value of an employed women and this value acts as wage increase and bigger labor supply references. Women who do not have access to pay maternity leave generally leave their jobs wile pregnancy on the other hand, paid leave candidates maintain a link to their employer. Long duration of care is likely eroding primary work skills. Long leave normalize staying at home decreasing the passion of being employed. The cost of scheme for the government $1.4 billion for the cost of eligible parent payment of $543.8 for 18 weeks, for employers $110 million for contribution to employees taking statuary paid parental leave. Analysis: Analysis is based on data derived from survey for” parental leave in Australia” which was conducted in 2005. According to this survey, 60% women in Australia are not satisfied with their organization’s maternity leave. 8% women thought that they would have taken longer leave if they had access to unpaid leave and 9% respondents states that they have to join their duties soon because they are worried about their jobs. Three main issues were covered in this research 1) dissatisfaction with paid maternity leave 2) Revival of new mother to their jobs too soon after birth 3) Half of women preferred to come back soon because of financial crises. 4) Most of the women think that they would have taken more leave if they will be paid. Conclusion: Working women usually feel discourage to plan a baby during their employment. Lack of paid maternity leave is a major concern almost half of the women working as employees in Australian labor market feel worried about their paid maternity leave (European Journal of Industrial Relations, 2002). It has proved that return to work too early act by new mother would be improved by providing complete access to paid maternity leave. The best way to solve this solution are open to debate and legislative provision of a period of paid maternity leave is an essential component can provide women satisfaction with their maternity leave. Maternity leave and parental leave is important in Australia as it has been observed that number of women have no access to paid maternity leave. Productivity commission report presented a model which is specially designed keeping in mind the needs and current situation of paid maternity and parental leave in Australia. This proposed model defines criteria for eligible candidates. Parental leave is an employee benefit for upbringing a child and to take part in child’s growth. Draft report suggests 18 week funded leave and baby bonus. Families who are not eligible for paid maternity leave can access to baby bonus. In Australia there is a need of implementing rules and laws for maternity leave to provide parents relief and ease in having a child. Australian working women require generous act for their maternity period and child’s welfare. Employers should support them in period of paternity. Thousand of women feel uncomfortable with paid maternity leave program in Australia so for their satisfaction, employers should take some measures to relief their employees especially in most important event of their life i.e. planning or being a parent. References: Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway: 1992) [Acta Paediatr] 2003 Nov; Vol. 92 (11), pp. 1243-4. Country of Publication: Australia NLM ID: 9317904 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 1320-3185 (Print) Subsets: In Process; Nursing, 2005. Child: Care, Health And Development [Child Care Health Dev] 2001 May; Vol. 27 (3), pp. 263-78. Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 7602632 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0305-1862 (Print) Subsets: MEDLINE, 2001. Dex, S., and H. Joshi. 1999. Careers and motherhood: Policies for compatibility. Cambridge Journal of Economics 23(5): 641–59. European Journal of Industrial Relations 8(2): 157–72.Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). 2002. A time to value: Proposal for a National paid maternity leave scheme. Sydney: HREOC. Galtry, J., and P. Callister. 2005. Assessing the optimal length of parental leave for child and parental wellbeing: How can research inform policy? Journal of Family Issues 26(2): 219–46. Hardy, S., and N. Adnett. 2002. The parental leave directive: Towards a ‘family-friendly’ social Europe? The Journal Of Family Health Care [J Fam Health Care] 2007; Vol. 17 (1), pp. 5-6. The Journal Of Family Health Care [J Fam Health Care] 2007; Vol. 16 (1), pp. 5-6. Read More