Petition submitted calling for six months’ maternity leave
Keystone-SDA
New mothers in Switzerland should be able to claim six months’ maternity leave, according to a petition submitted to the Federal Chancellery with 110,000 signatures.
According to Campax, the organisation behind the proposal, the measure would improve the health of mothers and newborns, strengthen the early bond, reduce stress for young families and make Switzerland a more family-friendly country.
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Currently, new mothers are entitled to just 14 weeks’ maternity leave after giving birth, equivalent to just over three months. This is “a very short period during one of the most important stages of a child’s life”, the NGO stated.
At that stage newborns are still completely dependent on the mother for “breastfeeding, bonding and security”, campaigners added. Furthermore, new mothers need sufficient time to recover physically and psychologically after pregnancy and childbirth.
Extending maternity leave from three to six months would bring Switzerland into line with other European countries that already guarantee significantly longer periods of parental leave, Campax concludes.
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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist
