“Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030” was the IWD theme of UN. As the world commemorated IWD in India  on March 8, 2017, the Lok  Sabha, on 9th March, 2017, passed amendments to the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, increasing the period of maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks, which is over six months.

With this, India has become the country with the third highest Maternity Leave,  Canada and Norway grant 50 weeks and 44 weeks respectively as paid maternity leave. The Rajya Sabha had passed it in August last year. (source: www.timesofindia.indatimes.com, accessed on 12 March 2017)

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka  Gandhi  said this was a major step towards empowering women. “I am very, very happy we have made history today. This will help thousands of women and produce much healthier children. We have been working on it for a long time,”she said.

The World Health Organization recommends that every child should be breastfed within an hour of birth and given only breast milk for their first six months of life. Breastfeeding should ideally continue up to the age of two, along with complementary food. In India, proper breastfeeding could reduce thousands of child deaths and episodes of diarrhoea and pneumonia annually.

Mrs Maneka Gandhi further states that “ After giving birth, a woman’s body needs to heal over a period of time. It is a very stressful time for the mother, who should be with the child. Moreover the Bill has its roots in malnutrition, as breast feeding the child is recommended which is not possible unless the mother is in physical proximity of the child.”

The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 protects the employment of a woman during the time of her maternity and entitles her to full paid absence from work to take care of her child. Among other things, the bill provides for 12 weeks of maternity leave to a woman who legally adopts a child under three months of age and a commissioning mother (defined as a biological mother) who uses her egg to have a surrogate child.

The bill also requires every establishment with 50 or more employees to provide creche facilities within a prescribed distance. The woman will be allowed four visits to the creche a day. This will include her interval for rest.It has also made a provision under which an employer can permit a woman to work from home, if the nature of work assigned permits.

Read more

Click on the Link to Download IWD  Newsletter   IWD-2017NCCI Resource Material2

As the world commemorates International Women’s Day on 8^th March 2017, the National Council of Churches invites churches, church leaders, Christian  organizations , and church run institutions to create and promote “women and family friendly” work places. India is the fourth dangerous country in the world for women to live in. India women face challenges and discrimination also in work place

The UN theme for IWD 2017 focuses on “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030”. IWD provides us the opportunity to rethink, deliberate, discuss, implement policies, educate colleagues, communities, congregations and engage in spiritual formation for gender justice to create women and family friendly workplace.

The world of work is changing with significant implications for women. On one hand, we have globalization, technological and digital revolution and the opportunities they bring, and on the other hand, the growing informality of labour, unstable livelihoods and incomes, new fiscal and trade policies and environmental impacts—all of which must be addressed in the context of women’s economic empowerment.

Read more