Dear Editor,
If you would kindly permit me to bring up an issue that has been absent and neglected from the national conversation, even by the various women’s groups who are in the political arena. It’s time we have a bill introduced to allow for a universal maternity/paternity leave structure for parents. Many foreign companies in our midst do not offer a day of paid maternity leave to mothers who have dedicated years of employment. They’ve been content to haul in profits while offering little to no benefits and our governments have turned a blind eye.
I’d like to call on the tireless Minister of Social Services to spearhead a national effort to offer all of our mothers time with their children at least for the first year with an option to be paid for the first three months by their company, public and private, and to receive a government stipend for the remaining 9 months thereafter. Stay at home mothers can receive the suggested stipend for a year. Please let’s not copy the American policies that offer little benefits to mothers but have a more humane approach so that mothers don’t have to leave their young children in the hands of untrained strangers in their first year.
Sincerely,
RK Singh
