Women Ministry to study proposal for spouses to share maternity leave

The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry in Malaysia will examine a proposal allowing spouses to share maternity leave, according to Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri. The suggestion aims to provide couples with greater flexibility in caring for newborns, especially when mothers require additional assistance following childbirth. Nancy expressed her support for initiatives that encourage families to spend more time together and share childcare duties.

Rodziah Ismail (PH-Ampang) had proposed granting mothers the ability to share their maternity leave with their husbands, particularly in cases where newborns needed extra care. While the existing seven-day paternity leave and 98-day maternity leave are valuable measures, Nancy suggested it would be even more beneficial to permit husbands to take leave as well.

In some instances, newborns may develop health issues like jaundice, prompting husbands to seek paternity leave; however, they are currently unable to do so beyond the allotted seven days.

Nancy stated that the ministry will review the current provisions and consider the possibility of allowing couples to share their leave. Additionally, she mentioned that the Social Welfare Department could provide temporary cash assistance to welfare recipients whose bank accounts were frozen during fraud-related investigations.

This support would enable recipients to meet their daily needs while they are unable to access their accounts. The Finance Ministry had informed Nancy that banks are willing to cooperate with welfare recipients in such situations, allowing them to withdraw their assistance payments. Nancy assured that the department is aware of the financial security concerns faced by recipients, particularly due to online scams, identity theft, and bank account freezes disrupting the monthly assistance payouts.