India grants single male parents 2-year child care leave

Single male parents or nanny daddies working with the government of
India and having up to two dependent children will be entitled to 730
days’ or two-year Child Care Leave (CCL) during their entire service
period, a new government order said.

Single male parents

This brings the men at par with female employees.

The CCL can be availed by the single male parents for rearing or
looking after any of their needs, such as education, sickness, etc.

The move is considered as a shift from the common belief that women
can only be the principal care-givers for children, reported the English
daily The Times of India.

Till now this provision applied to women employees only. The women
employees were entitled to CCL in three spells in a year that could be
availed for up to two children.

According to the government order, a single male parent government
employee has been defined as “an unmarried, or widower, or divorcee
government employee.”

The 730-day period has been divided into two halves. In the first
half there would be no salary cut, but in the second half the male
parents would be entitled to only 80 percent of their respective
salaries.

The new government order also notified that female government
employees can now avail CCL in six spells, instead of the three spells
earlier.

*Reported by Xinhua