How to Enable Fathers Easier Access to the Right to Use Maternity Leave?
How to Enable Fathers Easier Access to the Right to Use Maternity Leave?

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this policy paper is to analyze the existing and develop new practices that will enable fathers to have easier access to the legally guaranteed right to use maternity leave. The analysis and recommendations will be based on the research we conducted last year, concerning the obstacles to the use of maternity leave by fathers. We analyzed the existing laws that govern this area, surveyed 500 fathers who had a child in the period from 2016 to 2021, and conducted interviews with six fathers who used maternity leave, in order to obtain first¬hand information about their experiences in exercising this right. Labor laws at the entity and District Brčko levels guarantee the right to use maternity leave by fathers after the period of 42 or 60 days from the birth of the child, because it is a mandatory period in which the mother must take maternity leave. However, 57.8% of fathers stated they were not familiar with this legal possibility, of which 73.4% said they would have used maternity leave if they had known they were entitled to it. Those who used maternity leave encountered certain ambiguities that slowed down the process of exercising this right. This may further discourage fathers from taking maternity leave, which can ultimately lead to not making progress in terms of care distribution for family members, that is, all the burden of care will fall on mothers who must therefore balance private and professional life. We will present some of the key observations made as a result of the conducted research in this policy paper, and proposals for applicable solutions aimed at informing the public about the possibility of using maternity leave and facilitate access, that is, communication, with the institutions and establishments involved in the procedures for exercising this right.

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