Context:

• According to the new analysis by UNICEF, India is among almost 90 countries in the world without national policies in place that ensure new fathers get adequate paid time off with their newborn babies.

Important points from UNICEF’s Analysis

• The analysis said that nearly 90 million, almost two-thirds of the world’s children under one year old,  live in countries where their fathers are not entitled by law to a single day of paid paternity leave.
• India and Nigeria, which have high infant populations, are among the 92 countries do not have national policies in place that ensure new fathers get adequate paid time off with their newborn babies.
• It noted that around the world, momentum for family-friendly policies was growing. It cited the example of India, where officials are proposing a Paternity Benefit Bill for consideration in the next session of Parliament which would allow fathers up to three months of paid paternity leave.
• Eight countries across the world, including the United States which is home to nearly four million infants, there was no paid maternity or paternity leave policy. 
• Other countries with high infant populations, including Brazil and Congo, all have national paid paternity leave policies, albeit offering relatively short-term entitlements.

Why Paternity leave is important?

• Evidence suggests that when fathers bond with their babies from the beginning of life, they are more likely to play a more active role in the child’s development. 
• Research also suggests that when children positively interact with their fathers, they have better psychological health, self-esteem and life-satisfaction in the long-term, the UNICEF said. 
• UNICEF urged governments to implement national family-friendly policies that support early childhood development, including paid paternity leave, to help provide parents with the time, resources and information they need to care for their children.
• Earlier this year, UNICEF modernised its approach to parental leave provisions, with up to 16 weeks of paid leave for paternity across all of its offices worldwide, the first United Nations agency to extend such leave beyond the standard four weeks.

Source:Economic Times