Mothers urged to receive extended maternity break
In the heart of Southeast Asia, Thailand is taking steps to address its declining birth rate by considering an extension of the maternity leave period. This move comes as the House of Representatives has approved an amendment to extend the current maternity leave from 98 days to 120 days, marking a significant leap forward in parental welfare policies.
The proposed change, if approved by the Senate, will not only extend the maternity leave period but also grant 15 days of fully paid paternity leave to fathers in the private sector for the first time. This amendment also aims to increase wages during maternity leave entitlement from 45 to 60 days paid at full salary.
However, Kritsada Theerakosonphong, a Thammasat University academic and adviser to the House committee reviewing this bill, believes that even 120 days of maternity leave is insufficient. He advocates for an extension to 180 days to align with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and international labor standards.
Thailand's current maternity leave stands at 98 days, with the first 45 days fully paid by the employer and the rest covered partially through social security benefits. Fathers in the private sector were previously not entitled to paternity leave, though government employees had 15 days of paid paternity leave.
Kritsada's support for a longer maternity leave period stems from the significant fall in childbirth claims under the Social Security scheme, from over 300,000 in 2012 to 220,000 recently. This decline underscores the urgency of improved parental welfare policies.
In summary, the extension of maternity leave to 180 days is part of an effort to help Thailand tackle its declining birth rate. The Senate is currently reviewing a bill to raise the maternity leave provision from 98 days to 120 days, with Kritsada advocating for an extension to 180 days. The WHO advises a minimum maternity leave period of 14 weeks, and Thailand's current policy falls short of this recommendation.
Society, according to Kritsada, should focus on welfare to ease the decision to have children. By increasing privileges and welfare, he believes that women will gain more confidence to start a family, contributing to the much-needed boost in births in the context of Thailand's aging society and low birth rate.
- The proposal to extend Thailand's maternity leave to 180 days, as advocated by Kritsada Theerakosonphong, aligns with World Health Organization recommendations and international labor standards in the realm of science, health-and-wellness, and women's health.
- In the context of policy-and-legislation and politics, the Senate is currently deliberating over a bill that aims to prolong maternity leave from 98 days to 120 days, with Kritsada urging for an extension to 180 days to address Thailand's declining birth rate and low birth rate issues.
- Kritsada, an academic at Thammasat University and adviser to the House committee, believes that by focusing on welfare and increasing privileges, society can encourage more women to start families, contributing to general news of a much-needed boost in births and addressing the concerns related to Thailand's aging population.
