Jakarta. The House of Representatives is mulling over a more generous paternity leave on the maternal and child welfare bill.

On this bill, the House proposes a 40-day paternity leave.

This would be a huge jump from the current two-day paternity leave according to the 2003 Law on Manpower. Whereas the 2017 State Civil Service regulation allows a one-month paternity leave for male civil servants. 

“The House sees that fathers’ awareness to also take part in caring for their children is rising. That is why we are pushing for a paternity leave on this maternal and child welfare bill,” Willy Aditya, the deputy head of the legislative body of the House, said on Monday.

"The maternal and child welfare bill protects the husband's right to accompany their wife at childbirth and during the first 40 days as new parents," Willy said.

Article 6 on the maternal and child welfare bill states that husbands have the right to take paternity leave for a maximum of 40 days to accompany their wives at childbirth. They would also be entitled to take a leave of up to 7 days in case of miscarriage. 

Only a few companies in Indonesia have implemented a generous paternity leave. According to Willy, paternity leave is still perceived as less important than its maternity counterpart. 

The maternal and child welfare bill at present is still under discussion.

The House is also proposing a six-month maternity leave on this bill.

Female employees are currently entitled to take three-month maternity leave, according to the 2003 Law on Manpower.

Willy said the maternal bill put emphasis on a child’s golden years — a crucial time in a child’s development. He added the bill was also crucial to promote Indonesia's human capital in its pursuit of reaching a golden era in 2045.