Interviews by Tiffny Rhodius
and photos by Jules Gibson
This week we asked the man and woman in the street if they think men should be granted paternity leave.
Mwanza Glenn, private sector employee
`Yes I think because they play a more important role than the mother in the life of the child. I think at least one and a half month should be granted because the women do need help. Bringing up a child is not an individual responsibility it is a group effort.
I was brought up by a single parent but I think I’d be better off with my father by my side. However I thank my mother for all she has done but personally I don’t want history to repeat itself with my child. Raising a child is a group effort.’
Lashanna Haywood, private sector employee
`Yes, because they’ll need time to go see their wife and help them through the time of pregnancy and labour and when she is out of the hospital too she’ll need help. They should be granted like two months. If you have two kids the father can take care of one while the mother takes care of the other. They’ll take shifts looking after the children.’
Adele McKenzie, student nurse
`Yes they should have leave. They should have two weeks 
leave to spend time with the family and then he needs to rest too. This should be before the baby is born because the woman will need help with the chores and washing and such.’
Bibi Safrana Kasim, teacher
`Yeah I think they should be granted leave because they will be of assistance when the woman cannot do certain things for herself. The leave should be granted around the time the wife is having the baby and last for a month.’
Karen, private sector
`Yes I think men should be granted maternity leave because when the woman is pregnant both parties are pregnant. The men being there from the birth plays an active role in the child’s life. The leave should be granted the first month after the baby is born and last for a month.
As a mother, I found that the first month after the baby is born is the strenuous period especially if the woman is a single parent. The father’s help is very essential.’
Karen Samaroo, private sector employee
`Yes because they need to help the wife out. I cannot say how much time off he should get but it should be enough for him to be able to do the things he has to do. As a mother, I would have been proud to have the man there. It’s his duty.’
Andre Jackman, public sector employee
`Yes I think indeed men should be granted leave. Men should 
be granted some amount of leave, at least a month, to assist the woman and deal with some of what she may be going through like pre natal depression and so on.’
Paul Ranlochan, private sector employee
` I think men should be granted leave because they have to be with their spouse while the baby grows added to the responsibility they have to take on. I think the men should get at least a half of the three months leave that the women get. Everyone who is having a child should be granted the leave.’
Rawle Fausette, private sector
`It depends on if the wife is working and needs to get back to her job and the situation of the household, who is the breadwinner because these days women do take care of men in some cases. In other cases the men should have at least three to five days off of work or the work place can choose how much time to give.’
My workplace will offer you the leave but will call it casual leave. You also have to consider if the mother may have a bad delivery and the man will need to be there or maybe she has some sickness that will require the man to take some time off.’
Keith Spellen, teacher
`Yes because we are much needed in the home just like the women are and we can help them out with the chores and such things.’
