Egyptian TV presenter and journalist Amr Adib called for giving the husband a 3-day leave when his wife gives birth.
Adib said on Monday that the Egyptian Senate was discussing the amendments to the labor law, including the article granting the husband leave upon his wife’s delivery of a baby: pointing out that the Senate agreed to grant the husband one day.
Adib pointed out that childbirth is the woman’s suffering, but the husband also suffers from psychological and material pressure.
“24 hours are odd… Make them 3 days. If a wife didn’t give birth in 24 hours, what do we do? Dispose her?”
He added: “There are husbands who are worried about their wives… Women usually give birth at dawn… We should give the father time to rest and sleep,” calling on the lower house of parliament to grant the father three days’ leave upon his wife’s delivery.
Women in Egypt are entitled up to 3 months’ paid maternity leave and up to 2 years’ unpaid leave to care for their child. The amendments to the law being discussed at the Senate seek to increase the paid maternity leave to 4 months.
