Barbados ‘leads CARICOM’ in introducing paid paternity leave

Barbados has become the first country in CARICOM to grant fathers paid paternity leave — a landmark step that Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, said on Wednesday places the island “proudly” ahead of its regional peers in supporting working families.  .

As the Senate took up the Family Leave Bill after its passage in the lower House of Assembly, Sen. Cummins said the island was “proudly leading the way” in supporting parents, noting that the new parental leave provisions put Barbados ahead of its regional counterparts.

The legislation extends maternity leave from 12 to 14 weeks for single births and 17 weeks for multiple births. Fathers are now entitled to three weeks of paid paternity leave — a first for the country and the wider CARICOM region.

“In the Caribbean region, there are a couple of countries that have started to have this conversation,” Sen. Cummins noted. “In the Dominican Republic, there are two days of paid paternity leave by law. In Jamaica, there have been moves to introduce paternity leave—announced by policy but not yet by legislation. Suriname has eight days of paid leave. 

“No other CARICOM country has paid paternity leave. Prime Minister says to us all the time, Barbados must not be afraid to lead. On the matter of paternity leave in the Caribbean, Barbados has not been afraid to lead.”

She added that while developed nations offered far longer parental leave, Barbados’ progress was significant given its size and economic realities.

She said: “In Japan, for example, there is a provision for paternity leave and it goes up to 52 weeks of paid leave for fathers. In South Korea, they have one year of paid parental leave. 

“In Sweden, they have a parental insurance system that provides 480 days of paid leave per child to be shared between parents. 

“In Iceland, both parents are entitled to six months of paid leave with the option of transferring one month to the other. In Norway, fathers receive 15 weeks of paid paternity leave.”

“I want to ground those numbers in some reality,” she continued. “Every country I’ve mentioned is a developed economy with a gross domestic product in the trillions of dollars. They’re not developing, they’re not small island states.”

Sen. Cummins also presented data highlighting Barbados’ investment in maternity benefits over the years: Iin 2015, there were about 1 300 beneficiaries, with $6.9m paid out through the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). The figure rose to 1 462 beneficiaries in 2016, costing $7.4m. But the numbers have steadily declined since then, with 1 017 beneficiaries in 2021 at a cost of $5.7m, and 842 so far in 2025, amounting to $5.4m.

“If you were to assume that that is being matched by a paternity benefit, we can begin to extrapolate what the numbers are,” she said, adding that these figures must be viewed in the context of a small developing economy investing in family well-being.

Sen.Cummins stressed that the new legislation was about more than financial support—it was a social investment in strong families.

“There is a moment that you will never forget when that child is born, when that child first looks at you, when that child reaches every milestone,” she said. “Those first few weeks are important. Those first few years are important. They help to socialise the adult and young person your child will become. Investing in keeping families together in those early days is a key part of this government’s social care investment in our people.”

Describing the measure as both “critical” and “groundbreaking”, Sen. Cummins said it signalled a commitment to modernising Barbados’ social care system while ensuring that men play an equal role in parenting.

The post Barbados ‘leads CARICOM’ in introducing paid paternity leave appeared first on Barbados Today.

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