How do we expect to reduce inequality while sticking to an unequal playing?field?
Okay, so today I want to talk about a topic that seriously frustrates me.
The insanity in demanding an equal, gender-balanced workforce in male-dominated industries such as IT, while being quietly okay with offering completely unequal terms for different genders.
More specifically?—?offering parental leave policies that by research is shown to significantly reduce the opportunities for the gender we want to see more of, and if anything improve the opportunities for the other.
What does parental leave policies have to do with equality?
Globally, in some regions more than others, starting a family is today highly associated with negative consequences for your career. If you are the mother , that is. For fathers, research shows that starting a family can even have a positive impact on your career and income.
Why is that? Traditionally, and across the board, mothers take on a significantly larger chunk of the responsibility of having children when compared to their male counterpart, especially when it comes to parental leave. That, in turn has consequences on the mother’s career progression, opportunities for higher positions, income and in the long run?—?pension and savings.
Some of this imbalance is due to convention and norms. To a great extent however, it’s also upheld by unequal laws and regulations, making it at best difficult and at worst practically impossible for the father to take an equal part of the responsibility.
Equal parental leave policies are today far from the?norm
I come from a region in the world, Scandinavia, where we have generous parental leave policies that actually allow for both parents to share the leave equally. The parental leave period can be divided 50/50, or in any other ratio you choose. This is sadly an exception today. In most countries, and here we are talking anything from high-income to low-income across the globe?—?the parental leave offered for mothers compared to fathers is terribly skewed. In a study from 2023 , it was concluded that only 6% of paid parental leave globally was allocated to fathers, and an additional 11% available for either parent.
Take Sri Lanka as an example?—?the country where I have built the software development company Ascentic. Here, mothers working within the IT sector are by law eligible for about 4 months of parental leave, while the fathers get 1 day. Yes, 1 day.?
And Sri Lanka is far from unique?—?to give a few examples
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In order to take an equal amount of parental leave as the father, or partner, you would first have to find a way around the structures blocking it. You would have to ask your employer for unpaid leave, or maybe even quit your job just to be able to take your share of the responsibility for your newborn.
How are we okay with?this?
How can we say that we are working for equal terms in the workplace, for equal opportunities regardless of gender, and still offer so unequal terms when it comes to parental leave? How are we okay with mothers not having the right by law or policy to say “I need you to take your share of the load”??
In Ascentic, we decided to step out of the ordinary and offer 4 months of parental leave both for mothers and fathers.
What is needed for change to happen?
As legislators are not rushing to fix these unequal structures, my view is that the private sector has to step up and drive the change towards more equal terms in the job market.
What also needs to happen is for dads worldwide to step up to their part of the responsibility and start viewing parenthood as a responsibility being shared 50/50 as default, and with that starting to question why they are by law, policy or convention not able to live up to that.
It's a question of finances, yes, as the organisation or family would have to bear the cost associated which are not aided by the state. And about changing structures that are not necessarily easy to fix. But it’s also a question of whether we actually want to see the gender gaps decreasing, or whether we are okay with seeing the inequalities of the past remain for the upcoming generations.
Am I crazy here, or how is this question not top of the agenda in debates about how to fix the gender gap? Is the parental leave question still too controversial 2024?
Let me know what you think, I for one don't understand it.
Education and Programme Development Specialist with experience in Public, Private and International Non-Profit Sectors.
9 个月Some State Government Departments in Australia (e.g for women delivering remote Health services) can have their job held for them (unpaid leave) until the child reaches compulsory school age (age 5). A game-changer.
Experienced Fullstack Developer / Team Lead
9 个月I definitely support equal parental leave for the father as well. Or at least work from home arrangements until the kid is 1 year old. In Sri Lanka most people are not even aware about parental leave for the father. This should be a topic that is talked about more. Hopefully with time the awareness and demand for equal parental leave will grow in Sri Lanka as well. Thanks Anna for this article and for growing awareness about this timely issue.
The Headhunter | Strategic Client Partner | Global TA specialist | Leadership and Career Transformation Consultant??
9 个月Definitely ???? To me It's like trying to fix a leaky boat with a band-aid. Demanding gender balance in male-dominated fields is important, but if we don't fix the underlying issues, like unequal parental leave policies, we're just slapping on a quick fix. We need to overhaul the whole system to truly level the playing field and create opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender.
Driven by humility
9 个月My view only: I believe the change will happen when companies start to be influenced by those who have gone beyond the stipulated rule. Also another reason, I could be wrong on this, is because there is a majority who get support at home (in-laws, their parents) and hence it doesn't become a hot topic to be addressed given the other challenges that are there.