India is considering extending maternity leave to 24 weeks from 12 weeks, a government official said, adding that it would encourage more women to breastfeed and help reduce high rates of child malnutrition in the country.
“We feel the current three months is not enough time for women to adequately care for their newborns,” said an official from the ministry of women and child development.
“The proposal, if approved, would give working women in all sectors – public, private and even the informal sector such as domestic workers – some kind of protection.”
India has one of the highest child malnutrition rates in the world, 46% of children under five are underweight and 48% are stunted, according to the latest government figures from 2005/6.
Gender experts say extending maternity leave will also encourage more women to return to work and close the gender gap in the labour market. Many women reluctantly drop out of work because they need more time for their newborns, they say.
At around 33%, female participation in the workforce in India is well below the global average of 50%, a March report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.
During to a visit to India in March, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the gender disparity in the labour sector was a “huge missed opportunity.”