Parental leave in South Africa

This position paper, commissioned by MenCare+ South Africa, recommends the introduction of 10 days non- transferable, fully paid leave, be made available to fathers at the time of birth and delivery, within the first 30 days of the child’s life. It is further recommended that this should be combined with 100 days of paid parenting leave available in the first 1000 days of the child’s life to each parent (100 days per parent) for parenting leave to engage in caregiving of the child. In addition, we recommend that maternity leave be fully paid, and be extended to 6 months, rather than the current 4 months that are partially funded.