In South Africa, mothers are entitled to take 4 consecutive months of unpaid maternity leave. Fathers, on the other hand, are only allowed 3 days' family responsibility leave per year, and fathers say it's time the law made amendments.

UPDATE: South African fathers now granted paid paternity leave

In 2016 we surveyed fathers and expecting fathers to find out what their thoughts on paternity leave policies in South Africa are. What we found was that 97% of all fathers surveyed want the right to more than three days’ leave when a child is born. These results clearly reflect the changing role of fathers and the expectation from men to be more involved in their children’s lives.

We dug deeper…

Historically, social norms have assigned different tasks and responsibilities to men and women.  Since industrialisation, women have been responsible for home maintenance and nurturing while male responsibilities have been associated with financial support.

Women’s entrance into the labour market has only slightly changed these distinctions.  Their activities in the workplace are less socially valued and they have fewer opportunities for economic independence and self-fulfilment outside the home than men. In contrast, men’s ability to reasonably balance family and work life is more limited.

However, in recent years, there has been a substantial increase in expressions of interest in equal parenthood. More studies are recognising the importance that father-infant interaction has on the psychological development of the child. In addition, global research has shown benefits to families when fathers take paternity leave, which include the well-being of the mother.

Many of the fathers we surveyed were in agreement as well. Asked about the impact that more time off work would have on family dynamics, more than 92% of the fathers surveyed rated building a stronger bond with their new born as top priority.

“The first couple of weeks with a new born are the most challenging. They are also a time when the mother is still recovering from the birth. Having a dad around doesn’t only help with the bonding of the dad and baby, but it also goes some way in helping couples share the stress of the new arrival,” one father said.

In addition to improving their relationship with their child, the fathers stressed the importance additional time off would have in assisting the mother during the recovery period.

“Paternity leave is not only about the bond between the father and child. It also affects the way a couple approaches parenting as a team. With mothers often having to recuperate from surgery or post-natal depression, the help of a partner is essential – not a luxury,” another father said.

In response to how the mother of their child would feel if they were granted longer paternity leave, a majority of the fathers surveyed responded positively, saying that the mother of their child would appreciate the extra help. Giving their opinions on the matter, several fathers said that they thought their partners would be very happy if they were to take more than 3 days paternity leave. [More paternity leave] would lighten the load on new mothers as their partner would be there to help during the initial weeks of attempting to adapt to the [newborn’s] requirements.

What is most interesting is that 65% of fathers strongly held the belief that longer paternity leave would break down gender stereotypes, while 47% strongly believed that increased paternity leave would increase women’s participation the workplace.

What South African law stipulates

Despite increasing campaigns for policy changes, South African law has made no provision for new fathers. Even with policies such as the Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill, which advocates equality of all persons, not enough has been done in terms of shared parental responsibilities.  

Expecting mothers have a right to 4 months unpaid maternity leave, while expecting fathers have no rights to parental leave. Instead, the closest to parental leave that new fathers are allowed is Family Responsibility Leave - found in Section 27 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

In terms of this Act, a male employee may take three days’ leave during a cycle of 12 months of employment with their employer when their child is born, when the child is sick or if a spouse, parent, grandparent, child or sibling dies.

Furthermore, according to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, before fathers can be granted this leave, they need to meet certain conditions of employment. Only employees who have been with their employer for a period of four months or more and who work for the said employer for a minimum of four days per week are entitled to paid family responsibility leave. If the employee’s family responsibility leave is not used in the 12 month cycle, it lapses at the end of the annual leave period in which it is accumulated.

Global paternity policies

Other parts of the world have a long way to go too. The United States is the only developed country that doesn’t guarantee paid parental leave to employees. In Asia and the Pacific, countries such as Thailand, Pakistan and Malaysia also don’t offer any paternity leave.

Closer to home, many African fathers are given no parental leave either. However, countries like Kenya and Burundi are exceptions. Fathers in these countries are allowed 2 weeks paternity leave. Cameroon, Chad, Gabon and Cote d’Ivoire also provide longer parental leave policies at 10 days each.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, some countries, such as the United Kingdom have made headway. In 2015, the European nation amended its shared parental leave policy to give both parents of a newborn baby or an adopted child the opportunity to bond – giving the new parent the right to choose for themselves how to balance work and family; an attribute that the fathers surveyed saw as necessary. “We are both working full time and both have careers. Extended parental leave would allow us to share more of the household responsibilities,” said one father.

What are the benefits for companies

Beyond fostering father-child interaction, studies have shown that longer periods of paternity leave also benefit companies.

It’s a well-known fact that tech giants such as Facebook, Google, Netflix and Apple have implemented parental policies which allow workers to better manage their work-life balance. However, companies against paternity leave policies maintain that absence from work results in increased financial costs and a loss in productivity. Asked about their thoughts on this, the majority of local fathers surveyed did not believe there would be any negative effects on their employer’s bottomline.

“When the father works during the day and helps with the baby at night, it is a tough job to have little sleep at night and still be productive at work.”  In fact, companies with paternity leave policies, have reported positive benefits, including attracting and retaining top talent.

Ahead of the curve, Pick ‘n Pay offers one of the best parental leave policies in the country. Both mothers and fathers employed in the company receive a substantial amount of parental leave – more than the South African law prescribes. Mothers get 11 months paid maternity leave, while fathers receive 8 days paid paternity leave. Fathers also have the option to share Pick ‘n Pay’s supplemental maternity leave – on condition that both parents have worked for Pick ‘n Pay for more than 8 months. Another company with progressive parental policies is BHP Billiton. As of July 2009, new parents were offered a standardised minimum period of 18 weeks paid parental leave across all the regions, including South Africa.

It’s time South African law made amendments

Organisations must look beyond what is required by law in terms of paternity leave benefits. When company policies are in support of new parents, they offer benefits in two ways: first, they provide new parents with job-protected leave, and second, they offer financial support during the time of leave.

“In an article published on Law for All, Advocate Kaiél Grobler writes: “It is time that legislation is changed to correspond to the social practices and norms and accept that parenting is not an act reserved only for women. The decision of which parent should care for a newborn, should be placed in the hands of the parents, in the best interest of the child.”

For further insights into our survey results, or to share your opinion, email editor@careers24.com. 

Portia Mthembu is a writer at Careers24. She started her career in print media, writing about health and fitness, before specialising in career advice at Who’s Who SA and Careers24. Portia is currently completing her studies. Say hello: @Portia Mthembu.

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