Hong Kong's improved paternity leave law doesn't go far enough

The importance of the role fathers play in the emotional nurturing and raising of children from an early age has long been recognised. In this respect, Hong Kong has set itself apart from many other advanced societies by getting off on the wrong foot from the day a baby is born. Thankfully, we are about to make a start on putting that right, with the passage by lawmakers of a law introducing statutory paternity leave for new fathers.

As a result, men working for private companies can take three days of paternity leave at four-fifths of their recent average daily wage from as soon as March.

That is hardly a ringing endorsement of a man's role when compared with European paternity-leave standards, or even with our own civil service.

Thousands of civil servants and their families have benefited from five days' paternity leave on full pay, since it was introduced three years ago. Big companies have rolled out similar schemes without negative effects.

The three days at part pay represents a consensus, or compromise, between employer and employee representatives on the Labour Advisory Board over concerns that more generous leave might disadvantage small and medium-size businesses, for example in finding someone to stand in for leave-takers.

Pan-democrat lawmakers supported the new law after Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung rejected their proposal for seven days' leave.