There are certainly benefits of paternity leave in the Singapore context, as a 2022 study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family attests. Led by Professor Jean Yeung and leveraging data from 2,662 households, the study found that longer durations of paternity leave not only increased the bonds between father and child, but also significantly reduced family conflict, increased marital satisfaction, and were associated with improved socio-emotional outcomes in early childhood.
Significantly, in households where new fathers took only one week as opposed to two weeks of paternity leave, the results were less ideal, with more instances of parental aggravation reported. This underscores the value of a longer paternity leave period.
There is reason to believe a four-week period could yield substantial additional benefits, given that positive outcomes were primarily driven by stronger couple relationships.
For one, it gives mothers some predictability that their partners will be at least physically present during stressful periods post-childbirth, when there is a risk of postnatal depression.
Longer paternity leave periods also signal the commitment of fathers to prioritise family over work for a substantial amount of time, building confidence for both parents that fathers can be relied upon for more intense caregiving responsibilities, should the need arise.
DON’T DELAY MAKING PATERNITY LEAVE MANDATORY
Mr Wong said that the Government intends to make the four-week paternity leave mandatory “in due course”. This should come sooner rather than later.