10 days paternity leave for dads a 'baby step' in right direction - law group

The legal organisation Law For All says the government still has a long way to go in creating equitable parental leave.

The legal organisation Law For All says the government still has a long way to go in creating equitable parental leave.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa officially signed the Labour Laws Amendment Bill into law.

The law provides new fathers with 10 days consecutive paid leave after the birth of their child.

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In addition to 10 days for working dads, the law grants 10 consecutive weeks to adoptive parents and 10 consecutive weeks to commissioning parents in a surrogate agreement.

Law For All's advocate Jackie Nagtegaal says South Africa law should provide for free choice of care within a family unit.

She says, for the most part, the burden of care in families and society is still placed on women when this should not be the case.

It's a baby step in the right direction, but I think it still leaves a lot to be desired.

Jackie Nagtegaal, Managing Director at Law For All

The 10 days to dads is still quite debatable... Ideally, we'd like to see the choice of care between the parents and not place the burden solely on the mother.

Jackie Nagtegaal, Managing Director at Law For All

Listen to the discussion on The John Maytham Show:

This article first appeared on CapeTalk : 10 days paternity leave for dads a 'baby step' in right direction - law group

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