An edited version of this letter was published in TODAY Voices on 6 March 2018. 

Association of Women for Research and Advocacy (AWARE) welcomes the introduction of a new Tripartite Standard to encourage employers to offer caregiving leave to help families deal with unexpected caregiving needs. Under this new Standard, employers will be encouraged to provide 4 weeks of unpaid leave for infantcare, and two weeks of unpaid leave for care of immediate family members who are hospitalised.

Women provide the majority of informal family caregiving, often at the cost of paid, full-time employment. So encouraging employers to offer caregiving leave, even unpaid, is arguably a step in the right direction. However, the Standard should also indicate that taking caregiving leave is not a ground for dismissal. Without this clarification, caregivers’ precarious working situation, which forces them to choose between work and care will persist for two reasons.

First, many women we spoke to as part of our study on economic empowerment of low-income women work in informal, shift-based, commission driven jobs without any benefits. When a caregiving emergency arises, they have no option but to rely on unpaid care leave, which not only depresses their monthly household income, but also puts them at risk of dismissal.

Second, there are a number of caregiving responsibilities that are not covered by the situations outlined in the new Standard.  The needs of our rapidly ageing population requires caregiving for chronic illnesses that suddenly flare up, and for those who are unable to perform activities of daily living, making them completely dependent on their caregivers. The Standard’s narrow focus on the former will encourage the current status-quo which penalises caregivers who take time off in non-emergency situations.

The Comprehensive Labour Survey 2017 shows that 42 percent of all resident women out of the labour force cite family responsibilities as their main reason for not working and not looking for a job. The new Standard raises awareness about a critical aspect of caregiving, and rightly highlights the role that employers can play in fostering a family-friendly and inclusive society. However, without an offer to protect employees who take caregiving leave in emergency and non-emergency situations, we will continue to see the number of resident women out of the labour force rise with negative impacts on their own economic well-being, and that of the country.