For years, working mothers have struggled with the pain of leaving their newborn babies at home with housemaids, because they couldn’t afford to forego a salary for two months (leave with no pay).

However, working mothers now have reason to smile, thanks to the new maternity leave law which entitles working women more time with their newborns without foregoing salary. 

Last week, Parliament approved a draft law which provides for a fund that will facilitate employed mothers with their full monthly salary while on maternity leave. The current law required that during the first six weeks of a mother’s maternity leave, a mother had the right to her full salary, but was obliged to return to work or get only 20 per cent of her salary in case she chose to stay home for the remaining six weeks of her maternity leave.

Maureen Ashimwe, a human resource manager, says that working conditions for mothers are indeed yet to get better because not only will they make it back to work with a peace of mind, their productivity will be better when they return to work.

She says employers should embrace the new law because it will obviously benefit everyone. 

"Mothers are heroes, not with all the multi-tasking they have to put up with, so they deserve all the support they can get,” Ashimwe says.

Shamsi Kazimbaya, the National Coordinator at Rwanda Men’s Resource Center (RWAMREC), says that the law is certainly a big achievement for working mothers.

"In fact, I am very happy with this initiative because I was against those six weeks of maternity leave. For me it was like a contradiction, I mean for a country like Rwanda that is promoting gender equality,” she says.

Six months exclusive breastfeeding with only six weeks maternity leave was tough for working mothers. The period was undeniably short and mothers had to go back to work because it was the only option, though their hearts stayed home with their babies, creating inefficiency at the workplace.

"As a mother I would say six weeks of maternity leave is very short, for a mother to go back at that time is very hard for both her and the baby,” Kazimbaya points out.

She argues that allowing mothers to spend more time with their babies will certainly be an advantage in the sense that after three months, a mother is fully recovered, both physically and emotionally. And also financially secure, because she will be receiving her full salary which will help her plan for the baby once work starts.

Being physically and psychologically fit benefits both the mother and the child and will result in better performance at work.

"Yes, a three-month paid leave is good but we should advocate for even more, and also advocate for longer paternity leave so that the father can also help the mother,” Kazimbaya says.

Maureen Twahirwa, the head of communications at the United Nations Population Fund, wonders why it even took that long for the law to be changed because it not only interfered with the well-being of newborns, it also made new mothers psychologically unwell.

"Three months rest with payment is good because the mother has time to recover and be productive when she returns to work; the law has nothing to do with increasing pregnancies as people are saying out there, the number of children is determined by many factors,” Twahirwa says.

She also points out the fact that it will even very much increase the productivity of women at their work places as they will be more settled psychologically.

For some mothers, leaving behind their little ones means walking around with the guilt of abandoning their babies for the sake of money, yet in real sense, sitting at home with no pay would have worse implications.

This is why Cynthia Umurungi, a radio presenter at KFM, says that giving women the chance to be home with their babies for three months with pay will simply relieve them of this guilt and the feeling of ‘being punished’ for giving birth.

Umurungi says,” Indeed it is a great step in supporting women. Rwanda has done it again, and I am very proud to be a Rwandan woman, we expect it to be even better in the near future.”

What men say

Rogers Ndemezo, the territory sales manager at Olleh Rwanda Networks, says the future of this nation is bright, children are going to grow up with the care they need.

"This system will enable mothers to have ample time to breastfeed their babies as well as nurture them properly for better growth. And I think with the case of companies, this will bring about effectiveness and efficiency at the workplace since mothers are being given enough time to take care of their babies, giving them a peace of mind. And when they get back to work, they carry out duties without worrying about their babies at home,” Ndemezo points out.

Like Ndemezo, Yves Munyaneza, an accountant, applauds the step that was taken and appreciates the support Rwandan women receive. He says that women need all the support they can get.

"Being a mother and working at the same time is a huge task itself, therefore three months isn’t too much of a holiday, but rather, a way of giving our mothers, sisters and wives time to raise our children, the children of this nation,” Munyaneza says.

He continues to show his appreciation for the government for the continuous efforts and appeals to employers not to find it risky to employ more women.

Formal employees and employers will contribute 0.6 per cent of every employee’s gross monthly salary to the fund. Both the employee and employer will contribute 0.3 percent each; this will enable the facilitation and the smooth running of the fund.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE MATERNITY FUND INITIATIVE?

There is nothing more difficult for a mother than having to leave her baby home to go back to work. She will worry about the baby’s health and general wellbeing, and this will create a level of anxiety for her, which will affect her performance at work. I believe giving mothers a minimum of three months to take care of her baby is a great idea as this will eventually create a conducive working environment, and of course keep her financially stable too.

Erica Urwibutso, model

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We all know that being a mother isn’t a simple job. It’s obvious that after giving birth, both the mother and baby need time to heal and bond. The policy of allowing a mother to take three months off to take care of the baby without affecting her financially is crucial. As soon as she is ready to go back to work, she doesn’t have to worry much about providing for the baby.

Chantal Ingabire, assistant administrator

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I believe every mother appreciates the initiative of a three-month paid maternity leave. The last thing a mother wants is to see her child suffer, or face the consequences of her absence. This policy is therefore a step in the right direction as it comes with financial relief. I hope all employers welcome it.

Yvonne Nyirahabineza, teacher

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The adjustment in the maternity leave period implies that the government values and respects a mother’s role after child birth; after giving birth, a mother needs to heal properly to be able to get on her feet again at work, and this requires time, and resources. Employers need to embrace this initiative, because what affects a woman emotionally, obviously affects productivity at work. It’s a productive initiative.

Fiona Ntaringwa, fashion designer