Nigerian Women can no longer afford Maternity Leave
Written by Adeola Ibrahim on April 29, 2024
Nigerians are a people known for resilience, however, the survival of the average person in Nigeria requires a lot of strategic plotting to pull through by any means.
The book of Ecclesiastes says ‘Rest is sweet after Labour’, but Nigerian women can no longer afford to rest, as many are refusing the stipulated three months of rest post-partum, known as ‘maternity leave’. They believe that the three months should be used to make a living. Especially those whose survival depend on what they make on a daily basis.
It was a usual practice for women working in private organisations to earn a month or two of maternity leave, while those who work in government parastatals earn a compulsory three-month post-natal leave.
In recent times, the struggle for survival has discouraged this important aspect of life, as most people are so focused on surviving the day, however that looks like each day.
It has been discovered that some nursing mothers now spend as little as eight days after childbirth, before resuming their business activities.
A woman spoke about her experience with her recent childbirth, where she had to resume work two weeks post-partum because she and her husband could not afford money for transport fare to bring her mother from the East to take part in Omugwo.
Omugwo is a traditional rite observed in Eastern Nigeria. In which the mother of either the wife or husband is expected to take care of the new-born and mother for three months helping with the house chores, and bathing for baby and mother among other things. At the end of the Omugwo, the mother leaves with various gift that convey the appreciation for the help rendered.
However, with this economy where there is a continuous rise in goods and services, low salaries, increased unemployment, low sales coupled with the high cost of transportation such rite are fast becoming eroded.
According to the World Health Organization, WHO, the postpartum period is critical in the lives of mothers and babies due to the risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.
The Nigeria Demographic Health Survey 2018, showed that only 38 per cent of women and 42 per cent of new-borns received a postnatal check in the first two days after birth.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that postpartum women should have contact with healthcare providers within 24 hours, at day 3, days 10–14 and 6 weeks post-delivery.
It noted that multiple postnatal clinic (PNC) visits will allow assessment and prompt treatment of complications arising from delivery
