Proposing a 6 month Paid Maternity Leave Policy could backfire on Women

Depending on where a woman works, be it the public sector, private sector, or self-employed, maternity leave is and should be granted to any/every woman who is pregnant and needs time off from work to bond and take care of her newborn baby. Every other country in the world has its own maternity leave policy; some good, bad, and seriously need improvements.

Maternity leave could be paid or unpaid, however, unpaid maternity leave policy is undesirable and has shown to have a negative effect on mother and breastfeeding rate. In Cameroon, women are allowed 14 weeks of paid maternity leave, and it is paid for by the National Social Insurance Fund [1]. Women that get unpaid maternity leave are forced to return back to work immediately in order to take care of their families financially.

A lot of women these days are breadwinners and cannot afford to be at home with no salary coming in. This unfortunately, leaves a negative effect on not just the mother and child, but the employer as well. Having an employee who is not mentally, and physically sound, jeopardizes the work environment and productivity. Studies have shown that paid maternity leave policy improves mother’s health and child outcome.

With all of these known benefits of paid maternity leave, public health and medical professionals around the world has proposed a 6 month paid maternity leave policy. While most women applaud and support this policy, some women are skeptical and worried this might backfire on women. Some women are worried implementing and enforcing such maternity leave policy, could make some employers not to hire women at all.

And I agree, there is a slight possibility that this could backfire on women especially in Developing Countries. Society demands a lot from women and yet, we are under appreciated. Being pregnant takes a toll on women’s bodies and therefore deserves enough time to recuperate. Women deserve a 6 months paid maternity leave and quite frankly, this should not be an issue. At the end of the day, rejection or opposing the 6 month paid maternity leave policy, stems from funding issues. Who is going to pay for this?

Professor Shamika Ravi, Brookings India research director said it best, “If Society wants children and if society wants equal opportunities for women, then someone has to pay the cost” [2].

References

1. Cameroon PEO & Employer of Record - Expand Business into CM. (2020). Retrieved 13 August 2020, from https://www.globalization-partners.com/globalpedia/cameroon-employer-of-record/#:~:text=for%20medical%20treatment.-,Maternity%2FPaternity%20Leave%20in%20Cameroon,the%20National%20Social%20Insurance%20Fund.

2. Twitter. (2020). Retrieved 15 August 2020, from https://twitter.com/BrookingsIndia/status/1013776808183910400