Men should get lactation leave: Expert

ANKARA

Men should be allowed to have at least a one-hour lactation break, a social security expert from Türkiye’s Social Security Institution (SGK) has suggested, making a presentation on the equality of opportunity for women and men at the parliament.

Social security expert Nilüfer Atagün stated that the baby, especially in the first year, should benefit from both mother and father’s care in the subcommittee formed to determine the solution proposals for the harmonization of women’s work and family lives.

Accordingly, she advised that the lactation break, which women have already used, should be also given to men by titling it as a “care break.”

Babies need to spend time with their fathers as well as their mothers. Regulating men’s rights regarding the baby’s care can ease the mother’s process of adaptation to life after giving birth.

She reminded that baby’s care costs may not be affordable for some parents as items such as diapers, baby-specific products and food supplements are quite expensive, and suggested a paid parental leave, which is implemented in some European countries.

Providing information about maternity and paternity leave, she stated that a father, who works in the public sector, has a 10-day leave after birth, while a father working in the private sector is allowed to benefit from only a five-day leave.

“We consider that both mother and father should take responsibility regarding the care of the child in the first six months. It will be better to set paternity leave as two weeks,” Atagün explained.

“The period of benefit for temporary incapacity given to new mother should be increased to 24 weeks,” she added.

Within the scope of the E.U. childcare at home project, SGK pays 320 euros per month to working women who have children between 0-24 months and employ a caregiver, Atagün stated.

She also noted that 11,359 mothers and 15,232 babysitters benefited from this project in the capital Ankara, Istanbul, the western province of Izmir, the northeastern province of Bursa and the southern province of Antalya.

Around 97 percent of caregivers were also insured, Atagün added.