We have embraced the west in all its glory and darkness. Incorporated their words in our language, so much so that now we have a hybrid language called Hinglish.
Be it food, clothes, or for that matter even our lifestyle, we are going more and more global in our approach. But, we seem to have left behind critical issues pertaining to the socio-economic well being of our country.
Although we have made some remarkable progress with the passage of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which increases maternity leave from present 12 weeks to 26 weeks. This is available for women working both in the private sector and public sector. We are still lagging behind in terms of gender parity.
There is no provision for parental leave in Indian labour law. By definition, parental or family leave is provided when an employer is required to hold an employee's job while that employee is taking leave. Paid parental or family leave provides paid time off work to care for or make arrangements for the welfare of a child or dependent family member.
Forbes’ article on Paid Parental Leave details the big corporate names which are following the suit of gender inclusivity. Handing out paid parental leaves across the gender scale, to attract and retain millennial workers is not only a smart move, but a progressive one too.
The concept of family is not alien to our culture, but we don’t have any legal provisions in place to address a catch 22, wherein you have to choose between your job or family.
Hopefully we get to witness this landmark change in our labour policies, while still the Indian millennials are young!