The ILO and ECLAC reported that although the region has made progress in this field, it is still far from meeting international standards.
The Latin American region has made progress in maternity and paternity leave, but is still far from meeting international standards, warned the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The Gender Equality Bulletin: Time to Care in Latin America and the Caribbean: Towards Social and Gender Co-Responsibility shows that only 5 countries in the region have maternity leave of more than 18 weeks, in accordance with ILO standards, and only 6 countries have paternity leave of more than 10 days.
In the framework of International Women's Day, which is commemorated on March 8, the organizations warned that regulations such as maternity and paternity leave, among others, contribute to energizing economies and allow progress towards equality and a care society, in addition to promoting social and gender co-responsibility in the workplace.
In particular, maternity leave, and despite progress, coverage of this right is still limited, mainly due to the low formal labour participation of women and the high rates of informality, according to ECLAC and the ILO.
“In the region, only 50% of women participate in the labour market, in contrast to 75% of men. In addition, 52% of employed women do not contribute to or are not affiliated with any social security system, something that in most countries is a requirement to access this right,” the document states.
Regarding paternity leave, it is noteworthy that, out of 14 Caribbean countries, only in Suriname is it paid, with a duration of 8 days.
“There are still significant challenges regarding the duration of this leave, the source of funding, coverage and labour protection in the face of care responsibilities. This prevents overcoming the structural knot of inequality related to the sexual division of labour in order to achieve gender equality,” the bulletin states.
Regarding Mexico, there are currently various initiatives in Congress to extend paternity leave, which is currently only 5 paid days.
Parental leave: important, but absent
The document also discusses parental leave, which is more comprehensive and may or may not be paid.
“It consists of a longer period of leave, with job protection, which is made available to one or both parents to allow them to care for their daughter or son after maternity or paternity leave expires. In the region, only Chile, Colombia, Cuba and Uruguay recognize the right to paid parental leave. Cuba was the first country to approve this type of leave, which currently covers the first 15 months of a son or daughter's life,” she says.
Long-term care leave is also discussed, which is only available in five countries. “Only in Costa Rica can it be used for a family member other than children. Chile, Costa Rica and Mexico offer paid leave funded by social security for employed persons, and only in Chile are these leaves also available for independent workers. In Ecuador, the cost of the leave falls on the employer. On the other hand, in Cuba, long-term care leave is unpaid.”
Finally, urgent leave – related to family matters and short-term – is more common than leave for long-term care in the region.
“Currently, 14 countries provide this type of permit (Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay),” he explains.
He adds that in the Caribbean there is less coverage in this regard. In all countries, except the Bahamas, leave for urgent reasons is paid. Only in Chile is it financed through social security; in the other countries, financing falls on the employer sector.
International organizations recommended aligning countries' regulations on maternity leave with the international standards of Convention 183 and guaranteeing this effective right to all working women in the formal and informal sectors in a progressive, universal and supportive manner.
In addition to recognizing and expanding the right to paid, non-transferable paternity leave funded by social security.
We must also promote the implementation of regulatory frameworks in the region that establish an inalienable and non-transferable parental leave that is not based on bias and that guarantees that all parents can exercise the right to care for their children during the first months of life, without fear of losing their job or income.
