8/12/2019 Maternidade Segura m6 http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/maternidade-segura-m6 1/13 INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION Conditions of Work and Employment Programme (TRAVAIL) • 2012Module 6: Maternity leave and related types of leave Maternity Protection Resource Package From Aspiration to Reality for All
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MATERNITY PROTECTION RESOURCE PACKAGE. FROM ASPIRATION TO REALITY FOR ALL
Part 2: MATERNITY PROTECTION AT WORK IN DEPTH: THE CORE ELEMENTS
Mod.
6 Maternity leave and related types of leave
Key points Maternity leave is a period of leave from paid work that women workers are entitled to during
pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.
It provides a period of rest from the physiological demands of pregnancy, childbirth andbreastfeeding, which only women bear. Thus, it contributes to promoting maternal and newbornhealth (MDGs 4 and 5).
Maternity leave is one of the fundamental entitlements of maternity protection and it has beenalmost universally adopted in national legislation. Over the last decades, the length of maternityleave has increased in all parts of the world.
Convention No. 183 states that maternity leave should not be less than 14 weeks, six of which haveto be taken immediately after birth. Recommendation No. 191 suggests that maternity leave be atleast 18 weeks. In 2009, around half of ILO member States provided at least 14 weeks of leave.
Related types of leave have become increasingly common in recent years: paternity leave forfathers at the time of birth; parental leave, typically for men and women, to care for and nurture theiryoung children; and adoptive leave for parents when an adopted child arrives.
Parental leave is a work –family policy that recognizes that men also have family responsibilities. Itgenerally allows either parent to share the leave and to decide how to share it. Some portions maybe reserved exclusively to one parent (“father quota”). Most schemes are longer than maternity andpaternity leave, and paid less. Paternity and parental leave for men are also important for the fatherto support breastfeeding.
Mothers are more inclined to take parental leave than fathers, though this is slowly changing. Thefactors which influence men’s take-up rates are: level of wage replacement during leave; flexibilityof the arrangement; job security upon return; protection of seniority and promotion opportunities;and evolving attitudes about men’s care roles in the home and at the workplace.