DPM backs paternity leave to encourage population growth

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is in support of the government's efforts to legislate paternity leave for the private sector.

She said this is good as Malaysia is slowly becoming a country with an aging population.

"The idea is good. There are obstacles among the employers. But in terms of (paternity) leave, it is good because we are becoming a country with an aging population.

"So we encourage more people to have children," Wan Azizah told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

The Human Resources Ministry has proposed introducing a three-day paternity leave. A draft for amendments to the Employment Act 1955 is expected to be tabled in cabinet soon.

While Wan Azizah hopes this will encourage families to produce more children, a study of the effects of paternity leave in Spain indicated that this may not be the outcome.

According to The Guardian, the study found that paid paternity leave resulted in couples waiting longer to produce additional children, while men wanted fewer children.

However, the research also found that fathers were spending more time with the children they have, while the paid paternity leave encouraged women to rejoin the workforce sooner.

The study was published in the Journal of Public Economics in April this year.

Putrajaya's proposal has met some objections, including from the Malaysian Employers Federation.

The federation wants the government to foot the cost of paternity leave, as several other Asean countries do, instead of forcing the cost onto companies.

Wan Azizah said the government will engage with all stakeholders before pushing through such legal amendments. - Mkini