男性育休、妻の産休中に４週間　分割取得も―労政審が新制度案

　労働政策審議会（厚生労働相の諮問機関）の分科会は１２日、出産直後の妻を持つ男性が取得できる育児休業「男性版産休」の新制度案を取りまとめた。対象期間は女性の産後休業期間（８週間）のうち４週間程度で、分割して取得できる。職場への申請は現行の１カ月前に加え、２週間前に短縮する案も示し、取得しやすさに配慮した。
　政府は労政審での議論を踏まえ、来年の通常国会へ関連法の改正案提出を目指す。
　新制度案では、男性版産休の義務化に労使双方の委員から反対意見が相次いだことから、労働者の申し出により取得できる「権利」と位置付けた。
　現行の育休制度は男女を問わず、原則として子どもが１歳になるまで取得可能だが、職場の雰囲気などが妨げとなっている。２０１９年度の雇用均等基本調査によると、男性の育休取得率は７．４８％で、２０年に１３％とした政府目標の達成は絶望的だ。（2020/11/12-12:04）

A Japanese government panel on Thursday compiled a draft of a new leave scheme for men whose wives have just given birth.
   A subcommittee of the Labor Policy Council, which advises the labor minister, proposed that men can take a total of about four weeks off during the eight-week post-childbirth leave period for their wives.
   The husbands will be given an option to apply for the leave two weeks beforehand, on top of a month in advance under the current system, to make it easy to use the scheme. The government will submit a bill to revise related legislation to next year's regular session of the Diet, Japan's parliament, based on discussions at the council.
   After members from both the labor and management sides opposed making it mandatory for men to take leave under the new system, the subcommittee agreed on the concept that it is the "right" for men to use the system.
   The current child care leave system allows workers regardless of sex to take leave until the child turns one year old, in principle. However, pressures in the workplace have discouraged men from using the system. According to a labor ministry survey for fiscal 2019, only 7.48 pct of men took the leave, far from the government's goal of raising the proportion to 13 pct by 2020.