We support this stance for a number of reasons. For many organisations, mothers on maternity leave do not get a full salary. It may happen that the mother in a family is the one who earns a better salary than the partner. When she goes on half pay the family may be driven into debt as her financial obligations cannot be met. Allowing fathers to take paternity leave will allow fathers to take care of the baby while their child's mother returns to work. This will not only give families more choice and flexibility in how they balance work and care for their children but it also enables fathers to play a bigger part in bringing up their children. By denying fathers paternity leave and paying only the mother for maternity leave the law effectively decides who should look after a couple's baby. We believe couples have a right to make that choice, especially given the fact that most couples are working. The mother needs time to heal and refresh before she can go back to work. The father needs time to bond with his little boy or girl and he surely cannot do that if he only shows up at home after work. Especially in the last days of pregnancy and after the baby is born, partners need to be closer to the mother of their baby. At this time many women need their partner to be with them when they go on the combi, or when they need a driver to visit the doctor or to buy supplies. More importantly pregnant women need their partner's comfort and the assurance that they are there for them. In the past some errands such as helping to look after the baby and washing the baby's clothes was done by grandmothers. But the same grandmothers find themselves tasked with the care of children whose mothers and fathers have died from AIDS or car accidents. Thus they cannot be expected to also be there to help their daughter or daughter-in-law. That role of caring for the new mother has shifted to her partner. The partner now has to cook, ensure their other children are bathed and sent to school in addition to ensuring his partner has those comfortable first days of botsetsi. We believe that granting fathers paternity leave will also show the extent to which government is committed to gender equality. Thus we encourage government to engage in honest discussion with workers' unions, the workers themselves and gender advocacy groups with a view to coming up with a win-win policy for the employer and employee.
Today's thought
"My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, 'You're tearing up the grass.' 'We're not raising grass,' Dad would reply. 'We're raising boys.'"
