Why is male reproductive participation always insufficient? The key to medical exposure: If this policy is not changed, the fertility rate may "continue to plummet"
Are men generally less active in accompanying children? Obstetricians and gynecologists point out “2 major reasons”
Currently, the fertility rate in Taiwan is generally low. Is it related to the lack of participation of male partners? Dr. Huang Jianpei, secretary-general of the Taiwan Obstetrics and Gynecology Association, said in an exclusive interview that starting from January this year, the policy increased male paternity leave from 5 days to 7 days. However, compared with the average 14 days of paternity leave in advanced countries, there is still a big improvement. space. In addition, since June this year, only 1,975 men have applied for paternity leave, which shows that the willingness of male groups to participate in childbirth is still negative.
Dr. Huang Jianpei said that the current utilization rate of paternity leave in Taiwan is relatively low, mainly for two reasons: one is that men “don’t know how to use it” or “don’t even know that it can be used”; the other is that “even if they know, they dare not use it” because Fear of affecting work or being criticized by supervisors or colleagues. In terms of gender equality or the desire to have a second child, this phenomenon may seriously affect women’s desire to have children and lead to a vicious cycle of continued decline in fertility rates.
Women’s prenatal check-up takes at least 14 days! Paternity leave should be extended to 2 weeks “on a similar basis”
Dr. Huang Jianpei explained that taking the 14 publicly funded prenatal checkups subsidized by the government as an example, it was found that men were more willing to accompany them for prenatal checkups for their first child, but this gradually decreased after their second child, and they may not always accompany them every time. “In terms of the pregnancy period of 7-9 months, there are things to pay attention to during prenatal check-ups every two weeks. In the last month, prenatal check-ups are even required every week. It is best for men to come every time, and couples should Let’s plan for our children’s future together!”
Dr. Huang Jianpei further pointed out that women who are pregnant with high blood pressure, diabetes, have polycystic ovary disease, suffer from infertility before giving birth, are pregnant with twins, are older women, etc. are at higher risk than ordinary women. More invasive examinations such as amniocentesis are required. At this time, it is even more necessary for the husband to accompany him and discuss post-pregnancy-related matters with him.
Therefore, Dr. Huang Jianpei calls on Taiwan to follow the example of South Korea, Singapore and other countries and expand the spousal paternity leave to 2 weeks (14 days in total) to match the number of publicly funded prenatal check-ups that have been expanded to 14 times. Employees with children over three years old are required to work for one hour, and the employer cannot refuse and must pay full salary. Only in this way can we be in line with international standards and meet Taiwan’s actual needs, and reduce the burden of childbirth on pregnant mothers.
Helping expectant fathers to become “pregnancy teammates”, doctors hope to relax policies to encourage young people to have children
In addition to the need for supervision and improvement of the fertility policy from all parties, is there room for improvement in Taiwanese men’s enthusiasm and participation in childbirth? Dr. Huang Jianpei said that Taiwanese men currently have insufficient awareness of paternity, so male partners are encouraged to take more paternity leave to reduce their wives’ loneliness and frustration of facing prenatal check-ups alone. Previous literature has confirmed that when the husband accompanies the mother during prenatal check-ups, the wife is less likely to suffer from prenatal and postpartum depression. Therefore, doctors encourage Taiwanese men to become “pregnancy teammates” and spend more time with their wives.
Dr. Huang Jianpei said that he is happy to see the advancement of fertility policies in recent years. For example, infertility subsidies are estimated to encourage mothers to give birth to 7,000 newborns a year. The cost of infertility treatment is relatively high. If infertility cannot be treated due to financial factors, infertility subsidies can indeed improve the partner’s desire to have children. It is hoped that paternity leave will be extended to 14 days through legislative amendments in the future, providing partners with more adequate time to accompany the childbirth and learn to raise a newborn.
Finally, Dr. Huang Jianpei also called on the government to see young couples who have no problems with infertility or childbirth, but who want to have children but have no money or time. “The proportion of older mothers in Taiwan is about three times that of the United States, and medical expenses and childbirth risks are relatively high. If the government wants to encourage more young people to become pregnant and give birth without worrying about money issues, the relevant units must take more complete measures. Only in this way can young men and women’s willingness and confidence in childbearing be improved.”
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