男性版「産休」創設へ　育児参加促す―労政審議論

　出産直後の妻がいる男性を対象とする新たな育児休業制度の創設に向けた議論が２９日、労働政策審議会（厚生労働相の諮問機関）の分科会で始まった。男性版「産休」の導入で、男性の育児参加と女性の雇用継続を促す。政府は分科会での議論を経て、来年の通常国会への関連法の改正案提出を目指す。
　労働基準法は女性に６週間の産前休業、８週間の産後休業を認めている。さらに育児・介護休業法の規定で、原則として子供が１歳になるまで男女を問わず育休を取得できる。
　ただ、男性は収入面の不安や職場の雰囲気が取得の妨げとなっている。また１カ月前までの申請が必要で、基本的に分割取得ができないなど使い勝手も悪いという。
　分科会では妻の産後期間を対象に、男性が取得しやすい特別な育休制度の創設を検討する。同日の会合では委員から「キャリアや収入への影響を考慮し、適切な施策を図るべきだ」「中小企業の実態も踏まえた議論が重要だ」などの意見が出た。（2020/09/29-19:12）

Japan's labor ministry is considering introducing a new leave scheme for men whose wives have just given birth, as many new fathers in the country remain reluctant to take leave under the current system.
   On Tuesday, a subcommittee of the Labor Policy Council, which advises the labor minister, began discussing the new scheme's introduction, with the aim of promoting men's involvement in child-rearing and encouraging women to continue working.
   Following the subcommittee's discussions, the government plans to submit to next year's ordinary session of the Diet, Japan's parliament, a bill to amend related laws to introduce the proposed paternity leave system.
   Under the labor standards law, women are given maternity leave of six weeks prior to childbirth and eight weeks after their babies are born. In addition, parents, regardless of gender, can take child care leave until their children reach the age of one in principle, based on the child care and family care leave law.
   Men, however, have tended to be reluctant to take child care leave, due to uncertainties about their incomes and pressures from their workplaces. Also behind the reluctance are aspects of the existing child care leave system that make it inconvenient, such as the need to apply for the leave at least a month in advance and a ban on breaking up the leave period into short blocs.