Civil society groups on Wednesday called on the government and businesses to support increased flexibility of parental leave through legal amendments.
Parents should be allowed to apply for parental leave by the day or by the hour until their children are eight years old, Childcare Policy Alliance spokeswoman Huang Chiao-ling (黃喬鈴) told a news conference in Taipei.
This would allow parents to manage their work and parenting time flexibly without compromise, Huang said.
Parental leave of up to two years can be taken before a child is three years old, as per the Gender Equality in Employment Act (性別工作平等法).
Each parent can apply for parental leave twice, for a minimum period of 30 days.
Monthly parental leave allowances are available up to six months before children turn three years old, as per the Employment Insurance Act (就業保險法).
The alliance worked with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) last year to propose amendments to the two acts to the legislature, but not much progress has been made since then, Huang said.
Huang urged the Cabinet to sponsor amendments proposed by the alliance so that legislative committees are able to review them in comparison with competing bills.
Lin said at the news conference that the proposed amendments would not increase costs for companies because maximum parental leave would remain at two years.
She urged the government and corporate leaders to recognize the needs of parents and support the revisions.
DPP Legislator Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) at the news conference criticized the Ministry of Labor, which oversees the two acts, for resisting legal revisions by saying on several occasions that most businesses are opposed to laws requiring them to grant more flexible parental leave.
Recent surveys by the ministry showed that slightly less than half of corporate managers support the concept, compared with 75 percent support from their employees.
If the ministry refuses to change its position and does not work to improve parental leave, “fewer young people would want to have babies,” Wu said.
The proposed amendments are part of efforts to promote better work environments for parents with newborns and young children, Huang said.
Women would be more willing to have children and continue working after giving birth if they are assured of a supportive work environment, she added.
The birthrate and the number of working women could be increased with improved parental leave and bolstered public childcare services, along with government advocacy of equal mother-father parenting, Childcare Policy Alliance convener Liu Yu-hsiu (劉毓秀) said.
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