Morally UnfitMany Banks in India Are Denying Work to Pregnant Women, Perpetuating Gender Exclusion The discrimination is commonplace and regressive, making it harder for new mothers to re-enter the workforce and demand adequate welfare. By Saumya Kalia
A Balancing ActWomen Can Opt for WFH Under Maternity Benefit Act Only If Their Nature of Work Allows It: Karnataka HC The court noted that not all employers can provide the maternity benefits employees of the central government enjoy. By Devrupa Rakshit
Mom's the WordWomen Footballers in England Win Landmark Maternity Benefits “Women playing professional football are often faced with short contracts, low pay, and poor working conditions," an MP noted. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Positive InterpretationMaternity Leave Applies to Contractual Employees Too, Rules Karnataka HC The Maternity Benefits Act does not delineate rights based on how a worker is classified, the court noted. By Devrupa Rakshit
Keeps Paying OffPaid Maternity Leave Has Long‑Term Mental, Physical Health Benefits, Finds Study New mothers who received longer paid parental leave in the 70s are now showing better health in middle age. By Satviki Sanjay
Absent ParentMen More Likely to Receive Pay for Parental Leave than Women: Report Unless paid for it, men don't avail of paternity leave, while women, on account of physical recovery, have to accept unpaid maternity leave. By Anubhuti Matta
Cleared For Re-Entry70% of India’s Working Women Struggle to Resume Career After Family Leave: Report Many women in the formal workforce sense the only way to work again is to accept a pay cut. By Anubhuti Matta
Old Habits Die HardStudy: More Men Are Availing Paternity Leave, but Women Still Bear the Burden of Housework, Parenting New policies will only have the desired impact when mindsets change. By Pallavi Prasad
Hope For The FutureIndia’s Maternity Leave Law Currently Benefits Fewer Than 1% of All Women This reflects the small number of women in the formal workforce, who are the only people eligible for maternity benefits. By Liesl Goecker
Study: Same‑Sex Male Couples Receive Less Parental Leave Than Other Couples “A lot of the differences in leave stem from gender stereotypes where women are the primary caregivers." By Pallavi Prasad
No KiddingStudy: Paternity Leave Improves Women’s Postpartum Health Sweden's flexible paternity leave policy led to sharp drops in anti-anxiety prescriptions for new mothers. By Liesl Goecker
F@#%ing FinallyZomato First Company in India to Roll Out Gender‑Equal, 26‑Week Parental Leave "Primary caregiving alienates half of our workforce and leads to fewer female leaders within organisations, the community and the nation.” By Anubhuti Matta
Prep TimeKnow Your Rights: Maternity Leave The HR head of a multinational corporation explains employed women's rights during pregnancy. By Anubhuti Matta
So CloseLabour Ministry Moves to Ease the Fallout of Extended Maternity Leave A proposal is in the works to partially subsidize maternity leave benefits. By Liesl Goecker
More Mom BurdensMaharashtra Extends Maternity Leave for Government Employees to 360 Days Dads only get the time if their wives are deceased. By Urvija Banerji
Undue BurdenILO Report Clarifies the Gendered Burden of Unpaid Carework Around the World Child care and housework would equal 9% of global GDP -- if women were paid for it. By Liesl Goecker
Gender DiscriminationIndia’s Maternity Leave Laws Will Stifle Women’s Labor Force Participation, Report Says An estimated 1.1 to 1.8 million women will miss out on employment next year because of the new burden on employers. By Angelina Shah
Game ChangerAhead of Wimbledon, Serena Williams Already Has A Post‑Maternity Leave Win The tournament has granted Williams discretionary seeding in recognition of her pre-leave ranking. By Liesl Goecker