A look at the concept of paternity leave across the globe

Paternity leave is a term that still looks alien in Nigeria and is often, not spoken about. Indeed, maternity leave is a concept grabbed by a great percentage of the populace that are adults; the maternity leave takes a minimum of six full weeks away from work; it is usually 12 weeks away from work, with at least half of the salary still coming in, if not the full salary.

 The leave is mandated by the Labour Act and it makes observance of maternity leave for female employees in every establishment in Nigeria compulsory but this is not the case for men; there is no paternity leave in the Labour Act and it is not a concept many consider necessary.

Human rights advocates have been pushing for the Labour Act to be updated for years to allow a situation where men would also take time off to bond with their babies and support their partners. And in 2023, a bill introduced in 2023 at the National Assembly proposing two to three weeks of national paternity leave, but it’s yet to cross the finish line.

Not too long ago, the Head of the Federal Civil Service approved a 14-day maternity leave for male employees in the Federal Civil Service. This came long after states such as Lagos, Enugu, Akwa-Ibom and Edo took the initiative to create their own paternity leave policies for civil servants.

Lagos State government took the bull by the horn in line with its pacesetting style by mandating a 14-day paternity leave policy for male civil servants whose wives give birth or who adopt children less than four months old. The policy limited the leave period to once in two years and for a maximum of four children.

 In Akwa-Ibom, the state government followed suit by approving a 14-day paternity leave for male civil servants, for birth fathers and in instances of adoption. The Enugu state government also approved paternity leave for a period 21 days for its male civil servants, being the state with the longest paternity leave period in the country, so far. Finally, Edo State approved a 14-day window as well.

 But asides these four states and the FCT, paternity leave remains foreign to the rest of the country. And even in states where it exists, private companies are not mandated to grant paternity leave to male employees but some with international affiliations do it.

Globally, the concept of parental leave typically encompasses three types: maternity leave, paternity leave and adoption leave. Maternity leave is the most widespread and longest-standing form, but in recent decades, there has been growing momentum to make leave more inclusive and equitable.

According to a landmark ILO study of 185 countries and territories, only one, Papua New Guinea, lacked a statutory parental leave framework in 2014. Another analysis covering 186 countries found that although 96% of these countries provide paid leave for mothers, just 44% offer similar paid entitlements to fathers.

In Africa, several countries now mandate leave for fathers working in government: Kenya grants two weeks (conditional on recognizing the wife), Mauritius provides five consecutive working days, while Gabon, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, and Togo allow a certain number of days off under what is classed as “family-events” or government family-leave policies

In Ethiopia, married men are legally permitted five days of unpaid leave to care for a newborn. Meanwhile, South Africa provides a 10-day unpaid paternity leave for married men, as per some statutory leave frameworks.

According to OECD data, Lithuania provides 30 days of paid paternity leave, with compensation at about 77.58% of the father’s average earnings. It also offers up to 36 months of shared parental leave. Japan stands out by granting a full 12 months of paid parental leave exclusively for fathers, with payment paid by the state (initially 67%, then 50%). In Sweden, both parents have access to 480 days of shared leave, paid at flexible rates (around 80% for a large portion). Estonia offers fathers 30 days of paternity leave at full pay, plus an additional 435 days of shared parental leave, and in Iceland, under reforms introduced in 2021, total parental leave was expanded to 12 months, split evenly (six months for each parent), with payment around 80%.

 But in Nigeria, the debate is still on; advocates argue that parenting is a team sport, and both parents deserve time to bond with their newborns and to support each other in looking after them while others argue that fathers don’t give birth, hence they don’t require the rest and recovery time that mothers usually would.

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