longer maternity leave good, but pitfalls remain 

The Union Government's decision to increase maternity leave is an important step towards ensuring greater participation of women in the workforce. Currently, it’s compulsory for private firms to give 12 weeks of paid maternity leave — this will go up to 26 weeks once the new rules come into force, thereby bringing the private sector at par with the Government sector. The move is premised on the fact that six months of breastfeeding is a globally recommended norm to combat malnutrition, diarrhoea, and other diseases in infants and to lower the infant mortality rate. Also, new mothers themselves did need adequate time to physically recoup from the stress of pregnancy before they can return to work. Notably, the Government's efforts to make the labour market more women-friendly comes at a time when India is one of the few countries in the world where the percentage of women in the workforce has actually fallen — from 37 per cent in 2004-05 to 29 per cent in 2009-10. If you think this is an aberration, take a look at the long-term figures which tell a similar story: Women comprised 24.8 per cent of all rural workers in 2011-2012, down from 31.8 per cent in 1972-73. Similarly among urban workers, women made up for 13.4 per cent of the workforce in 1972-73, which has increased only marginally to 14.7 per cent in 2011-2012. The loss to society and the nation due to the under-utilisation of women-power needs little elucidation. According to a 2015 McKinsey report, if by 2025, India can increase women's participation in the labour force by just 10 percentage points, thereby bringing in about 68 million more women, the country's GDP can increase substantially.

Of course, extended maternity leaves alone will not solve the problem. In fact, well-intentioned as they may be, such ‘pro-women' measures may further queer the pitch for women (who already get a raw deal in the labour market) as employers will view women professionals as difficult hires with too much baggage. It may also become legitimately unaffordable for many small and medium firms to pay ‘unproductive' employees for long periods, thereby further marginalising women in the workforce. One solution here is to push men to take on more parenting responsibilities, so that babycare isn't seen just a ‘women-only’ issue. This will require a mindset change, but perhaps we could start by looking at gender-neutral parental leaves for both parents, instead of just maternity leaves. Also, looking beyond leaves to care for newborns, we need to upgrade the overall office structure so that it better reflects the realities of the 21st century where it is increasingly common for both parents to be working — this means, for example, more flexi-timings and mandating crèches in every office. In India, it is already compulsory for factories to have crèches, but the Ministry of labour is planning to amend the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, so as to cover almost all other establishments.