Airlines should consider giving male employees paternity leave so that they too can share the responsibility of raising children, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday. He also fought for increasing the proportion of female pilots in the country from 15 percent to 50 percent. India passed maternity law (amendment) in […]
Airlines should consider giving male employees paternity leave so that they too can share the responsibility of raising children, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday. He also fought for increasing the proportion of female pilots in the country from 15 percent to 50 percent.
India passed the Maternity (Amendment) Bill in 2017 that increased the right to paid maternity leave for working women from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. While Indian airlines currently provide paid maternity leave under the 2017 law, most of them do not have a similar policy for men.
“I believe our airlines are doing a great job of creating a healthy work environment for our women, be it daycare centers, maternity leave and other structures,” said Scindia in his speech at an event hosted by the nonprofit organization “Women in aviation”.
“I think we need to go beyond that,” he said. We need to create an environment that is not only gender neutral, but that looks at equal responsibility for both men and women in terms of family environment, he said.
“An example of this is why we’re looking at the concept of maternity leave only. We also need to look at the concept of paternity leave, where men should also take responsibility for raising children at home,” said Scindia. That’s why that mental shift needs to happen, he said, adding that we all need to recognize the differences and rethink the fundamentals of workplace ethics.
“I really believe that equality is more important than equality. It’s a very nuanced approach, but I think it’s time to acknowledge it. It is not a fight for equality. It’s a fight for equality,” he said. Currently 15 percent of the total pilots in India are women. Globally, the proportion of female pilots is even lower, at around five percent. Scindia said, “Is 15 percent good enough? My answer is flat no.”
“The reason is that the opportunities you’ve overcome, the stereotypes you’ve surpassed, the pressure to perform you’ve endured, have been extremely discouraging. You’ve pierced every glass ceiling,” he noted. But today we need to shift the paradigm He added, saying that one day in India this 15 percent will reach 50 percent of the country’s pilot strength.
This post Jyotiraditya Scindia bats for paternity leave in airlines; wants 50 percent female pilots
was original published at “https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/jyotiraditya-scindia-bats-for-paternity-leave-in-airlines-wants-50-per-cent-women-pilots/2462643/”
