Taiwan calls for equal extension of leave for mothers and partners — Taipei Times
Civil society organizations in Taiwan have called on the Legislative Yuan to increase the duration of leave equally for mothers and their partners after the birth of a child. Activists believe that extending only maternity leave could worsen discrimination against women in the labor market, Taipei Times reports.
Government proposal
In May, Taiwan President William Lai presented the 18-point “Taiwan Population Strategy 2.0: Family Support,” aimed at addressing low birth rates. One of its measures provides for extending leave for mothers from eight to 12 weeks and leave for partners from seven to 14 days.
The Legislative Yuan is considering the proposal. Some legislators propose setting maternity leave at 14 weeks.
Risks to women’s employment
The Childcare Policy Alliance said leave for mothers should not be extended without a corresponding increase in leave for fathers, as this could put women at a disadvantage in the labor market. Alliance representative Wang Zhaoqing cited a study from Brazil covering 14,767 employees who took leave and 423,926 of their colleagues.
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According to the study, the overall promotion rate among women fell by 17%, average income by 3.5%, and the share of women in highly skilled positions by 5%. At the same time, the promotion rate among men rose from 3.35% to 6.23%.
Wang Zhaoqing said employers might refuse to hire women because of the costs of longer leave for mothers. He cited Spain as an example of a country with equal leave for men and women and wage subsidies during childcare leave.
Trade union representatives called for encouraging fathers to participate in childcare and abandoning the notion that it is solely women’s responsibility. They also stressed that the new rules should not force women to leave work because of childbirth, and that additional leave should preserve women’s right to choose if it does not harm their health. In their view, payment for additional leave should be covered through social insurance or government subsidies.
