Forum: Revise maternity leave scheme to get employers on board

There have been recent thought-provoking discussions about the impact of motherhood on one’s income and career (

Will an endowment of $300,000 per child move the needle?

, Feb 16; and

Determine the impact of having children on a family’s earnings

, Feb 24).

Employers are key stakeholders in discussions about the “motherhood penalty”, and it is important to consider how policies could help to level the playing field while supporting key societal interests.

One example is Singapore’s maternity leave scheme. Currently, eligible working mothers of newborn citizens are entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave.

For the first two children, salaries during the first eight weeks of maternity leave must be paid by employers, while the remaining weeks are reimbursed by the Government. For third and subsequent children, all 16 weeks are reimbursed.

In contrast, all four weeks of paternity leave and the entire duration of shared parental leave – which will be extended to 10 weeks from April 1 – are reimbursed by the Government.

This means that employers bear significantly more costs when female employees give birth. These include two months’ salary, manpower shortages during maternity leave, and possible friction from handovers and impact on staff morale.

Faced with competition and tight profit margins, employers would be inclined to favour other employees over mothers, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises. This is despite the new Workplace Fairness Act, which prohibits discrimination based on factors such as sex, pregnancy and caregiving responsibilities.

Regrettably, I know of women whose services were terminated at the end of their maternity leave.

It may be worth revising the maternity leave scheme and have all 16 weeks reimbursed by the Government regardless of the child’s birth order.

Mothers and fathers fulfil an important social function in raising the next generation of citizens.

Their contributions to the family unit and beyond benefit society and the economy in the long run, and should be valued and respected.

Darius Lee