Description
In addition to maternity leave, some institutions offer parental leave for fathers (i.e., paternity leave), for employees whose spouses have given birth, or for parents of either sex who have newly adopted a child. For example, the University of Ottawa in Canada offers two days of paternity leave at 100% salary, while the University of the Western Cape in South Africa offers seven days at 100% salary. Canada’s Dalhousie University and McMaster University offer a combination of five days to two weeks at 100% salary, followed by ten weeks to 15 weeks at 95% salary for eligible employees. Both Dalhousie University and McMaster University offer alternatives to the combined leave of seven weeks at 95% of salary (Dalhousie University) or four weeks at 100% of salary (McMaster University). At McMaster University, the same policies apply to new adoptive parents. In the US, the University of California requires academic staff who take parental leave to take leave without pay or use accrued vacation leave, for up to one year, and provides health insurance benefits for up to 12 work weeks for certain eligible employees.
Under general parental leave at the University of Ottawa, employees receive 100% of salary for the first ten days and the difference between 95% of salary and maximum insurance benefits for up to 13 weeks between the first ten days and one year after the birth or adoption of a child. Any additional parental leave is without pay.
Dalhousie University also offers parental leave for graduate students, who may take leave for up to three academic terms over the course of one year. Students do not owe fees to the university during this period, and most scholarships do not provide financial support during parental leave. Medical residents who have been employed for at least one year are entitled to up to 35 weeks of parental leave without pay. Residents can apply for unemployment benefits that would be paid at 75% of salary during a two-week waiting period and 93% of salary thereafter for up to ten weeks. In fact, professional residents’ associations in each Canadian province have agreements/contracts with the provincial governments that outline residents’ rights, including parental leave.
Implementation lessons learned
Students, faculty, and staff need to be aware of leave policies in order to make use of them. It is important for institutions to engage in dissemination and education/awareness-raising activities as well as to create an environment that does not discourage taking parental leave.
Examples
Dalhousie University’s parental leave for postgraduate residents
McMaster University’s pregnancy and parental leave
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