Equal Love, Equal Leave: Rethinking Adoption Policies

Nehal Nangia, in her Linkedin post, shares her adoption journey, highlighting a crucial issue in workplace policies. While her current employer, The Josh Bersin Company, offers adoption leave equal to maternity leave, this isn’t the norm in India.

The post reveals a stark disparity: adoptive mothers receive only 12 weeks of leave for children under three months, compared to 26 weeks for biological mothers. Adoptive fathers get no statutory leave at all.

Nehal highlights two main issues. First, most children become legally available for adoption after three months, making many parents ineligible for leave. Second, all families require bonding time, regardless of how a child becomes part of the family.

The post sparked significant discussion, with many supportive comments and shared experiences, Debamitra Chakravorty shared: “Back in 2014 when we went through the adoption process, my then manager… told me that the company did not have any policy for adoption leave.”

Mahrukh Bandorawalla emphasized, “This 3 month clause completely renders the policy useless. The current system with its long waiting time has become such an impediment.”

Many commenters congratulated Nehal and shared their own adoption stories.

However, the post also raised some thoughtful counterpoints, like Abhrajit Kar suggested “The comparison between the maternity leave and adoptive leave could have been avoided given the psychological, emotional and physical trauma a biological mother goes through while giving birth.”

Harsha Dev Rathi broadened the discussion, “Let’s strive to close the gnawing gap between maternity leave and paternity leave. At least 3 months of paternity leave should be binding.”

The overwhelming response indicates strong support for equal adoption leave. Many commenters shared how their organizations have implemented or are considering more equitable policies.

This post highlights the need for both legal and corporate policy changes to support adoptive families. It also reveals a growing awareness of the importance of parental bonding time, regardless of how a child enters a family.

Nehal’s story and the ensuing discussion demonstrate the power of sharing personal experiences to drive change. By bringing this issue to light, she’s encouraging HR professionals and policymakers to reconsider adoption leave policies.

The post concludes with a powerful message: Let’s bridge the gap and ensure equal love receives equal leave for all families. This call to action resonates with many, sparking important conversations about adoption policies in the workplace and beyond.

Inspired from the Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nehalnangia_adoption-equalleave-parentalleave-activity-7217431937823490048-LiLq/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop