KUCHING: The private sector should shed its traditional thinking and look with favour on the proposed three-day paternity leave.
Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, who has lauded the proposal, urged employers in the private sector to see this as a win-win situation.
“By providing paternity leave, this could increase their (employees) productivity as well as reduce pressure at the workplace,” she said at a press conference here yesterday.
When asked whether the Social Security Organisation (Socso) should initiate a fund in relation to the proposal, Fatimah brushed this aside.
“How can it be Socso?” she questioned, adding that the employers should initiate the fund by looking at how it could motivate employees.
“Look at this as a CSR programme or treat it as a long-term prospect in terms of productivity. Employers should be supportive.
“It is all about taking care of the welfare of workers. Paternity leave can help fathers settle all home affairs during the birth of their children and enable them to continue their work with greater productivity,” she elaborated.
Highlighting the vital role of fathers in a family, Fatimah opined that there should be at least five days of paternity leave.
“Personally, the three-day leave is barely enough. It is way better to propose a five-day paternity leave since it is crucial in promoting fathers to play an active role during childbirth and to adjust to the monumental life changes that come with being a father,” she pointed out.
According to a Khazanah Research Institute study, a whopping 2,563,800 women in Malaysia are not working due to housework or family responsibilities, compared to just 69,800 men.
Fatimah further stressed the impact of the father’s role in a family institution, particularly towards their children’s growth.
“Various studies have shown that children with involved fathers have better social, emotional and cognitive development, and perform better in school compared to children who only attained guidance from the mother,” she explained.
Fatimah described the first week of childbirth as the most crucial and challenging time for young married couples in coping with their duties as parents and employees.
“The husband has to look after the wife and if there are young kids, he needs to take care too, for example, to pick them up from schools and be around when his wife is discharged from hospital,” said Fatimah.
Earlier, she received a courtesy call from Sarawak Mirage Club and Wishesland, a local non-profit organisation for cerebral palsy disorder children.
