The Family Leave Bill, which provides for paid paternity leave promised by Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn earlier this year, was passed in the House of Assembly on Tuesday.
Minister of Labour Colin Jordan, unveiling the landmark proposal, told lawmakers: “It is necessary for full parental participation in the raising of our children. Full parental participation means that both mothers and fathers must be involved in the raising of our children…. So, for the first time in our country’s history, we will be allowing statutory paternity leave for fathers. That leave will be for a period of three weeks.”
Under the legislation, the three weeks can be taken consecutively within the first three months after birth, or split — with at least two weeks taken in the first three months and the final week before the end of the baby’s first six months.
Jordan also revealed that in tragic situations where a mother dies during or soon after childbirth, fathers will be entitled to an extra three weeks of paternity leave to help them adjust to their new responsibilities and care for their newborn.
He emphasised that workplace protections for fathers will be on the same level as those for mothers: “The same protections that a mother will have with respect to maternity, a father must have with respect to paternity, and so a man cannot be discriminated against because of paternity.”
The bill also proposes sweeping changes to maternity provisions. It will extend statutory maternity leave from 12 weeks to 14 weeks to bring Barbados in line with international standards, allow 17 weeks in cases of multiple births, and change the “maternity grant” to a gender-neutral “child grant”.
“Referring to it as a maternity grant presupposed that all raising of children was on the part of the mother. Now we know that that is not the case,” Jordan said, adding that the change reflects modern realities and the shared responsibilities of parenting.
He linked the reforms to wider demographic concerns, noting that the island’s population has dipped below 270 000. “We cannot, while addressing that challenge, be saying to our women for only three confinements per employer,” he said, pointing out that the restriction will be removed under the bill.
Jordan stressed that the government had taken into account the financial health of the National Insurance Fund before moving ahead with the changes.
The labour minister said: “After government has implemented most of the revitalisation measures, after government has done its recapitalisation of the fund, and after measures have been put in place to ensure the sustainability of the fund, the actuary is of the view that the National Insurance Fund is able to accommodate these developments that I have shared today contained in this bill.”
He expressed hope that the new law would be well-used. “At least 50 per cent of new fathers” taking advantage of the leave would place Barbados above the global average, he said.
“The proposed changes that I have shared with this honourable chamber represent an advancement of our social policy stance,” the minister told MPs, calling the move a “signal” that the government intends to back words with action when it comes to supporting families. (SB)
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