Talks of the introduction of a Paternity Leave Act have caused disjointed views in the public domain, and I find myself on the opposing fence of this discussion.

Supported by the Ministry of Gender, if the Paternity Leave Act actualises, it will mimic the Maternity Leave Act, which grants mothers of new-born babies time off from work (paid vacation) to take care of the baby. This means the Paternity Leave Act will be “job protected”, allowing fathers of new-born babies to also get time off from work, which can also accompany income support. According to the ministry, the Act will “encourage shared parenting, support and mentoring” of children. While I applaud the ministry for this forward-thinking initiative, I do not see the relevance of such Act when applied to the Jamaican context.

It is no secret that Jamaica is dominantly a matrifocal society, where women are primarily the head of the household. With this in mind, what is the relevance of a Paternity Leave Act when most Jamaican families have absentee fathers?

Until the reality of the family structure in Jamaica changes there should be no such “Paternity Leave Act”. The Act may be ideal in countries like Norway and Sweden, but that is because their societal household structure is different from the matrifocal structure which reigns in Jamaica. If Jamaican men want to benefit from such Act, we need to see changes from the gender collectively. Men should be present during the woman’s pregnancy and stand up to their responsibility as a father, protector and provider for the remainder of that child’s life. We need to see greater initiative from men in Jamaica before we should consider a Paternity Leave Act.

As they should, Jamaican men have also added their voice to the discussion, noting they also need time off from work to bond with their new-born babies. However, these men are far and few between in this matrifocal society and will have to do without a leave until men collectively decide to father children they have abandoned.

Permanent Secretary in the gender ministry Denzil Thorpe is in favour of the Act which he says complements the recommendations of the National Policy for Gender Equality.

I have no qualms about gender equality, but why start with the introduction of an Act that is not relevant to Jamaica? How about we tackle gender equality in terms of job positions and salaries in Jamaica? That would ceetainly be more relevant and applicable to Jamaica’s reality as many people are not properly and fairly financially compensated because of the issue of gender bias.

Thorpe should re-evaluate the introduction of an Act which would give absentee fathers a free vacation and possible salary, and introduce legislations which ensure people are paid equally despite their gender. If we are able to achieve that aspect of gender equality and the family structure changes to suggest a need for the Paternity Leave Act, I have no doubt that people from the left and right side of the fence will gather in the yard on one accord.

News peg: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20181120/govt-hold-consultations-paternity-leave