14 percent Indian companies have no paternity leave policies: Survey

Around 14 percent of Indian companies, including large enterprises, SMEs and start-ups, don’t have any paternity policies, according to a new diversity survey of 300 companies by JobsForHer, an online career platform for women.

The survey also found that just 31 percent of SMEs and start-ups offer paternity leave, while 57 percent of large enterprises provide paternity leave of two weeks and more.

According to the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules,1972, male government employees can take paternity leave 15 days before the birth or within six months of the birth of the baby. However, there is no such provision that mandates the private sector to provide paternity leave, thus the prerogative to formulate such a leave policy often lies with an individual company. In the last few years, some Indian companies have started giving time off to new fathers, adoptive parents and LGBT couples.

The right to paternity leave is becoming more widespread around the world as well, with countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Norway taking the lead in progressive parental leave policies that encourage both parents to share the leave. Earlier this year, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal had announced he would take time off after his second child’s birth.

“We all benefit when dads are supported,” Neha Bagaria, founder and CEO of JobsForHer said. “Paternity leave in India has been gaining prevalence over the last few years, but we still have a long way to go.”

Experts point out that paternity leave can create more equal and diverse workplaces, boost productivity, attract talent and impact gender equality in the workforce. “Today fortunately, gender parity is being considered a top priority for organisations as they are introducing more family-friendly policies,” Bagaria says. “Companies should offer and also encourage their employees to take parental leave, as male employees sometimes fear that such leave can hinder their career plans.”