> > Shiv: Har, Har, Mahadev (my favorite ACK quote;-))!!! > Just a quick note to document how this "culture" cannot be ignored as local tradition. When I was pregnant with Himadri in 2009, I went for a routine ultrasound at 21 weeks that my obstetrician advised due to my "geriatric" age of 41. At the ultrasound office, there was a sign that read: PLEASE DO NOT ASK US ABOUT THE BABY'S GENDER. I asked the nurse the history of this sign and lo and behold, my Vancouver desi brethren and Chinese (largest minority here) were responsible for this sign being put up. Apparently the Ultra-sound unit had noted an inordinate amount of interest on the part of desis and chinese. Can anybody guess why??????!!!!
Also enabling paternity leave does not mean men will take it - the usual reason of fear for continued employment still holds valid - we personally know a colleague who lost his job while on paternity leave! I enclose a segment from the Human Resources Development Canada site on parental leave (if you hit the link on paternity leave you will see that in practice paternity leave of several weeks duration is rarely provided). Mike used two weeks of his overtime hours to stay with me instead of being on 50% paternity leave: Parental leave is designed to provide either or both parents with time to spend with their newborns. For the mother, parental leave provisions commonly stipulate that the leave be taken immediately after maternity leave, thereby extending the total leave period. For the father, parental leave provisions allow time off to help with the care of the newborn; sometimes collective agreement language that is gender-specific to the father is referred to as paternity leave<http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/lp/spila/wlb/wppp/02leave_benefits.shtml#paternity> . In a nutshell, what is provided in labour standards legislation ? - In all Canadian jurisdictions, employees who meet eligibility requirements are entitled to unpaid parental leave ranging from 12 to 52 weeks. - Employees must give notice in writing to the employer a few weeks prior to the start of such leave. When they come back to work, employees must normally return to their former position or be assigned equivalent duties with the same salary and benefits. - In ten jurisdictions, the full parental leave is available to both parents if they are eligible. However, in Alberta, New Brunswick, the Yukon and the federal jurisdiction, parental leave may be shared between both parents as long as the total period of leave does not exceed the legislated maximum. - Some jurisdictions allow employees to continue their participation to benefit plans during the leave, provided they make all contributions they would normally have made, within a reasonable period of time. In some jurisdictions the employee may be required to pay the employer's share of these benefits.
