Peru: four-day paternity leave for all workers

The paternity leave system recently adopted in Peru provides for four days of paid leave when the mother is at the hospital. The “Act which grants the right to paternity leave to workers in the public and private sectors” (official name) was promulgated on Saturday, September 19 by the Peruvian government, a few days after it was adopted by Parliament. The leave will last four consecutive days and is mandatory. Workers cannot give this right up or exchange it against other advantages. The measure also affects the police and the military. The beneficiaries will have to let their employer know the possible date of birth two weeks in advance. As soon as the law was published in the official journal, “El Peruviano,” some politicians, including Minister for Women and Social Development Nidia Vilchez, asked for paternity leave to be extended to seven days. Peruvian law provides for a 90-day maternity leave.