Opinion | Creating Workplaces That Work For Parents: 7 Steps To Help Mom And Dad Juggle Job & Baby

Motherhood penalties and fatherhood bonuses – becoming a parent is likely to result in considerably different experiences for women and men. Studies show that, globally, mothers are considered less committed, held to higher performance standards, and less likely to be promoted than fathers and childless persons. Interestingly, while mothers are typically offered lower salaries, fathers receive a boost in their wages. Gender gaps in unpaid, domestic and care work explain a significant portion of these wage and perception differences! Closer home, Indian women bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid work, taking on 8.4 times more domestic and care responsibilities compared to men. A recent study by our team at Nikore Associates in collaboration with Karmannaya Counsel, the Confederation of Indian Industry, and supported by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, estimates the notional economic value of women's unpaid work to be between 15 and 17 percent of India's GDP. In this context, recent observations by the Supreme Court in a case where a female state government employee sought additional leave to care for her child with disabilities are heartening. While directing the Government of Himachal Pradesh to review its childcare leave policies, the Supreme Court observed, “the provision of childcare leave to women sub-serves an important constitutional objective of ensuring that women are not deprived of their due participation as members of the workforce. Otherwise, in the absence of provision for childcare leave, a mother may be constrained to leave the workforce.” What made this case even more compelling, was the recognition that the special needs of the child with disabilities necessitated longer care hours, and that the State had a Constitutional duty to protect the rights of the child and the mother, particularly the rights of persons with disabilities (ROPD). ALSO READ | National Safe Motherhood Day: How Women Can Have A Safe Pregnancy, Know Its Psychological Impact Choices And Conflicts This case shows a mirror to the choices and conflicts women face every day – as they continue to balance between work commitments and household responsibilities. Encouragingly, this judgment underscores a growing awareness of the need to bolster investments in the care economy. The goal is to establish workplaces that effectively support parents and carers of all genders—both mothers and fathers. So, how can governments, the private sector, and community-based organizations collaborate to foster more care-friendly work environments?" First, consider offering flexibility to carers of all genders. The Government of India’s policy to offer two years of paid childcare leave to all women and single male employees each for two children up to 18 years makes it one of the most generous parental care leave frameworks in the country. While the Government of India may consider extending this leave to all employees regardless of gender, state governments can also consider framing rules to provide similar childcare leave to their employees. Moreover, public and private sector organisations can also consider offering flexibility in terms of work hours, work locations, and timings as well as additional carer leaves to persons of all genders with high care work responsibilities – both for childcare and elder care. Second, leverage public private partnerships to expand care infrastructure. The Government of India’s Anganwadi cum Palna Ghar scheme is effectively mobilising public sector investment for establishing creches within 17,000 anganwadi centres across the country. Going beyond solely public sector investment, public private partnerships (PPPs) can become an effective tool to establish care infrastructure such as childcare facilities, elder care facilities, and even multigenerational community care centres, especially in urban areas. Private sector organisations can also establish or upgrade care facilities in close proximity to their offices, shared workspaces, or operations facilities. Third, offer subsidised care services for employees. Private sector employers can collaborate with community-based organizations and start-ups that provide care services to ensure their employees have access to safe, reliable, and affordable care services including childcare, elder care, and long term care for highly dependent children and adults. Fourth, expand skill training opportunities for care workers. Care work is different from standard jobs. It requires special talents like empathy and patience, which are much harder to teach. The National Skill Development Council can take a lead in developing upskilling, re-skilling, and fresher skilling curriculums for care work. Moreover, work experience and skill training-based certifications should be introduced to institute seniority levels and specialisations amongst care workers. Specialised training for themes like childcare, nutrition, elder care, or early learning should be offered, linked with higher pay. ALSO READ | Kareena Kapoor Khan On Mom Guilt: 'Couldn't Be There For Jeh's First Concert, But...' Business Opportunity Fifth, ease access to finance for women entrepreneurs in the care sector. The care economy presents a dynamic business opportunity for start-ups and micro, small and medium enterprises. Central and state governments can support women entrepreneurs who wish to start businesses in this sector, e.g. daycare centres, elder care centres, home care services, etc. by expanding access to concessional finance, specifically earmarked for the care sector. Sixth, create a strong regulatory framework for care services and infrastructure standards. In the United Kingdom, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (OFSTED) undertakes regular audits of government aided childcare facilities across the country, rating them based on established national infrastructure and care service provision standards. India has begun to take steps to establish quality assurance standards, with the recent release of the National Minimum Standards and Protocols for Creches by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Going forward, central and state government agencies could establish a strong regulatory framework for child and elderly care services and infrastructure that would need to be followed by both public and private sector entities. And finally, place the rights of persons with disabilities at the heart of this approach. In each of these measures, intentional actions are essential to ensure ROPD in care services delivery. For instance, childcare centres must have the necessary infrastructure and trained personnel for managing children with different needs. Infrastructure at care facilities should be universally accessible. And most importantly, carers of PWDs should receive additional leave from employers – amongst several other measures! The Supreme Court's observations pave the way for a transformative care economy strategy in India. By collaborating across sectors, we can create workplaces that support carers, expand care infrastructure, and prioritize the rights of persons with disabilities. The time is ripe to build a more inclusive and equitable future for all. Mitali Nikore is founder and chief economist, Nikore Associates, an economics and policy research group [Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal.]