2024-08-22 03:57:17
The Chamber of Deputies challenged the Executive and declared admissible the project that seeks to extend the postnatal period to one year. Despite the benefits that it may mean for the bond between the mother and her baby, the processing of the initiative will have to overcome the possible economic, labor and constitutional risks in its processing.
One of the issues that has been on the agenda this week is the proposal of extend postnatal leave to one year, which has opened the debate regarding whether it is possible, what is recommended and what the economic implications of carrying out an initiative of this type are.
Pese a not having the constitutional powerbecause the proposal raises fiscal expenditure, Therefore, it is the exclusive power of the President of the Republic, this Tuesday, August 13, The Chamber of Deputies declared the project admissible and will process it which seeks to extend this period that currently lasts five and a half months to one year, in addition to extending the exclusive leave for fathers from five days to four weeks.
Under current legislation, the first 12 weeks of postnatal leave are exclusively for the mother, and the following period, called postnatal parental leave, can be extended by 12 weeks on a full-time basis or 18 weeks on a part-time basis, where the mother can give up to six weeks to the father. In this way, the objective of the initiative is that the parental postnatal leave lasts 40 weeks (or 46 if part-time).
However, to analyze this proposal, a series of factors must be taken into account, such as: benefits for mothers and babies, mental health, the fiscal expenditure involved, protection of female employmentamong other points.
Is it advisable to extend postnatal leave to one year in Chile?
From the perspective of perinatal mental health, which covers mental health from gestation to the first years of life, the postnatal period “is a priority measure and absolutely necessary to strengthen not only the effective linkbut also to provide all the conditions for that mother to be breastfeeding in a calm manner, reducing anxiety levels and achieving the breastfeeding rates recommended by the WHO”he left saying to THE DYNAMO Yanira Madariaga Baeza, professor of Obstetrics at UNAB in Viña del Mar.
Along these lines, the expert added that “here in Chile we have a five-and-a-half-month postnatal period, but exclusive breastfeeding is recommended until six months. So there is a figure that does not add up. If we extend the postnatal period to one year of life, we ensure that in terms of nutrition, quality of life, emotional bonding, and the attachment that the baby develops towards its caregivers, they effectively lay the foundations for better mental health in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, with all the benefits that this can bring, even at a social level.”
Regarding returning to work, a prolonged postnatal period could reduce anxiety and stress levels, or on the contrary, this could increase due to the fear of leaving the labour market.
In this context, Madariaga stressed that this “also has to do with the the right of mothers to choose their careers. Some will want to go back after six months, others will want to go back after eight months, but it should be the mothers’ decision and not the system forcing you to go back when you don’t want to.”
In this sense, the academic from UNAB in Viña del Mar said that “some women might think that it keeps them away from the labor market, but for many, “The experiences of motherhood also make them open to exploring other professional work perspectives.”
Considering the above, that women have the right to choose the time they want to take care of their children, a period that is also being taken advantage of from an emotional bonding perspective, Madariaga stated that “from a public policy it seems to me that in addition It is a preventive and health promotion approach.”
“Based on my experience accompanying and caring for women in the postpartum period, one of the most common reasons for consultation is the levels of stress and anxiety generated by having to leave a baby in the nursery or in the care of third parties when they are still five and a half months old. So, obviously, a longer postnatal period would reduce the levels of anxiety and stress generated by returning to work and the care structure that returning to work requires, because not only the mother, but also the father or partner who is co-raising that baby effectively needs certain flexibilities to be able to provide the care that is required,” she added.
Could female employment be affected by the extension of the postnatal period and what has been the experience in other countries?
Several countries, mostly European, have extended postnatal periods. The longest is in Sweden, which is approximately 16 months, followed by Germany, which is 14, and Denmark, which is one year.
“Countries with longer postnatal periods also have mental health figures that support what I am saying. There are experiences in European countries, especially in Scandinavian countries, where postnatal periods even last more than a year, and a year for the father as well, and there are undoubtedly benefits to be seen in this, not only for the baby, but also for the population and for society in general,” explained Yanira Madariaga.
However, this can pose a challenge to job offers, women’s professional advancement and the wage gap, so in order to mitigate these effects it is necessary to establish measures to protect women’s employment.
Given this situation, Gonzalo Martner, an academic at USACH and expert in economic policy, assured THE DYNAMO that the extension of the postnatal period “probably will not affect the supply”, but yes “in the demand for hiring and in the continuity of career in some professions, Therefore, there must be adequate support in companies and institutions, particularly with part-time and remote work.”
Is it possible to extend postnatal leave from an economic and constitutional perspective?
On the other hand, there is also the economic factor, since this bill requires fiscal spending to be carried out.
“For the subsidy financing system, this will obviously entail greater expenditure. For companies, in the medium and long term it will allow for more human capabilities, as more women will join the workforce, but it will depend on the sectors of activity and the qualification levels. The Nordic countries are the reference in this field, and are among the with greater productivity and well-being“, Martner explained.
Beyond the benefits that extending postnatal care can generate in early childhood, the truth is that the most controversial point of this initiative is that it requires fiscal spending, which interferes with the exclusive powers of the Government of Gabriel Boric.
Despite this, the Chamber of Deputies declared the project admissible 57 votes in favor, 18 against and six abstentions, raising tensions in Parliament and challenging the Executive. But for this proposal to materialise, it is necessary to emphasise that “It can only be approved if it has the sponsorship of the Executive,” the USACH academic concluded.