Main point:

Paid maternity leave can reduce physical and mental stress during post-partum or after childbirth.

1. Improve maternal health status

The International Labour Organization (ILO) Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No.
183) gives the maternal the right to a period of rest in relation to childbirth, with cash and medical
benefits, employment security and non-discrimination, health protection and the right to
breastfeed. The length of maternity leave in the Convention is 14 weeks, while Recommendation
No. 191 stipulates 18 weeks. Paid maternity leave is important especially for single or low-
educated mothers who are less likely to be able to afford to take unpaid time off and may have
more physically demanding jobs such as jobs that involve standing, lifting, long hours, shift work
or noisy environment (Mozurkewich et al., 2000)

According to research of World Health Organization (WHO) study of 21 high-income

countries, the first hours, days and weeks after childbirth pose major health hazards for both the
mother and the new-born infant. Two-thirds of maternal and new-born deaths occur within the first
two days of birth, while four per cent of maternal deaths and nearly 30 per cent of neonatal deaths
occur between the second and sixth weeks after childbirth.

Furthermore, approximately 37 percent of women improve work performance after maternity

leave in their jobs. Those are evidences that the length of time off work after birth provides
significant health benefits (Chatterji et al., 2013; des Rivieres-Pigeon et al., 2001). Besides that,
McGovern et al. (2007) found that for women employed before birth, longer leave durations were
positively associated with vitality, mental health and role function whether at home or in jobs.

This role is universally recognized and firmly established as most countries have adopted
statutory provisions on maternity leave, including those countries where other types of leave and
conditions of employment are normally negotiated by the social partners. It should be noted that
maternity leave is not sick leave and should not, under any circumstances, reduce the entitlement
to sick leave either before or after childbirth.
2. Upgrade choice of quality of maternal and newborn in medical facilities

Nowadays, the advancement of Malaysia in medical facility allows people to enhance their
health status anywhere. Greater recognition at international and national levels of the importance
of achieving real equality between men and women in the workplace and in society has led to
policy distinction between recovering from childbirth and caring for a child.

One of the crucial factors having paid maternity leave can improve choices regarding post-
partum care or other types of medical care required after giving birth. (Belinda et al., 2017),
especially today. According to the Maternal and Child Health Equity (MACHEquity) Programme
at McGill University, about 300,000 births across 20 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs),
using longitudinal data and multilevel models, found that 7.9 fewer child deaths per 1000 live
births is correlated with an additional month of paid maternity leave (95% CI 3.7, 12.0), reflecting
a 13% relative reduction. This shows that the parents can choose to give her new-born the higher
standard medical and provide the healthy environment for new baby.

Research increasingly shows that mothers who take maternity leave can improve perinatal
health outcomes for themselves and for their new-borns. Prenatal leave taken routinely in
uncomplicated pregnancies may protect against obstetric complications during labour and delivery,
low birth weight and small for gestational age infants.
3. Maternal depression measurement

Several studies in public health literature document the frequency and duration of physical and
mental health problems following childbirth. Most of the new-mother, married-mother and
employee-mother experience the depression after return to their jobs. In a U.S. national survey,
more than a third of women who gave birth in the past year reported suffering from any depressive
symptoms, with about 20 percent reporting having consulted a health care or mental health
professional about their mental well-being since birth. Women are at greater risk of developing
depression if they have a history of depression or bipolar disorder in their personal or family, or if
they have experienced perinatal depression with a previous pregnancy.

Several have found that the unavailability of paid leave for mother decreases their
involvement with their infants, which may result in lower satisfaction in their relationships with
their children. This may cause trouble bonding or forming an emotional attachment with the new
baby and lead to depression. Moreover, the influence of family might the cause of the depression
between the family and the jobs in future. For instance, Post-partum between 10% and 20% of
mothers suffer from depression (Pearlstein et al., 2009) which most of them can be related to
insufficient of financial to support their family especially their baby. Some women may experience
some symptoms of depression such as persistent sad, irritability, feeling guilt and more. The worst
can thoughts about death, suicide, or harming oneself or the baby.

Besides that, a research from Canada (des Rivieres-Pigeon, Seguin, Goulet and Descarries,
2001) and the US (Chatterji and Markowitz, 2012; Chatterji et al., 2013) suggests that women who
return to work within the first 6 months post-partum have poorer mental health than mothers who
remain on maternity leave. In Sweden, about 36% of women reported cesarean wound pain one to
two months postpartum (Schytt et al. 2005), while 58% reported cesarean pain two months
postpartum in the United States and 16% reported ongoing cesarean pain at least six months earlier
(Declercq et al. 2014).

Depression that occurs during or after pregnancy can be treated. The symptoms can range
from mild to severe. In rare cases, the symptoms are severe enough that the health of the mother
and baby may be at risk. Treatment for depression is important for the health of both the mother
and the baby, as depression can have serious health effects on both.