Duterte doubles paid leave for new mothers in the Philippines
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech in Manila, on Aug 8, 2018.
PHOTO: AFP
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MANILA (BLOOMBERG) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has expanded leave benefits for working new mothers, a move that could bring more women to the workforce in a nation with the least female participation in South-east Asia.
A new law has increased paid maternity leave to 105 days from 60, of which seven can be given to fathers, Senator Risa Hontiveros, one of the measure's main proponents, said in a statement on Thursday (Feb 21).
Single mothers will get an additional 15 days.
Luring and keeping more women in the job market is among government initiatives outlined by Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia to boost labour force participation, which dropped last year.
The World Bank estimates that more than half of Philippine women aren't in the labour force, the highest ratio among major South-east Asian economies.
While the Philippines leads Asia in the number of women in leadership and professional roles, many of them are from wealthy backgrounds and can afford expensive childcare, according to McKinsey Global Institute.
The New-York based consultancy estimates that having more poor, less-educated women into the workforce will add US$40 billion (S$54 billion) to the economy by 2025.
"Today is a massive victory for women and their families," Ms Hontiveros said. "While there will be more battles and challenges in the future, today, women win."
Around the South-east Asian region, Vietnam has the highest amount of paid maternity leave with 182 days, followed by Indonesia (180 days) and Singapore (112 days).
