Welcoming a newborn often requires both parents to work together, especially during the challenging first few weeks after delivery.
A Malaysian father has called on the government to increase the country’s statutory paternity leave from seven days to at least one month.
Sharing his thoughts in a Threads post, the father said the current leave period was simply not enough for fathers to support their wives and care for their newborns.
Says weekends can take up part of the leave
According to the father, the situation becomes even more frustrating when a baby is born close to the weekend.
As paternity leave is counted as seven consecutive days, a father whose child is born on a Friday may have Saturday and Sunday included in his leave period.
This means he could have only a few working days left before having to return to work.
“Seven days is seriously not enough. If the baby is born on a Friday, two days are already used up over the weekend,” he wrote.
Newborn jaundice may take weeks to resolve
The father also pointed out that some newborns may experience jaundice during the first few weeks after birth.
He claimed that the condition could take around two weeks to resolve, leaving mothers to manage medical appointments and newborn care after their husbands return to work.
He felt it was unfair for wives to handle the physical recovery from childbirth and the responsibility of caring for the baby alone.
He therefore urged the government to provide fathers across Malaysia with at least one month of paternity leave.
Criticises companies offering only three days
The father also criticised companies that provide employees with only three days of paternity leave because they have worked there for less than one year.
He described such policies as unreasonable, especially when both the mother and newborn may require additional support after the delivery.
What does Malaysian law say?
Under Section 60FA of the Employment Act 1955, an eligible married male employee is entitled to seven consecutive days of paid paternity leave at his ordinary rate of pay for each confinement.
The entitlement is capped at five confinements, regardless of the number of spouses.
To qualify, he must have worked for the same employer for at least 12 months immediately before the leave starts.
He also needs to inform his employer of his spouse’s pregnancy at least 30 days ahead of the expected confinement, or as soon as possible after the birth if it happens unexpectedly. (Employment Act 1955, Section 60FA)
The provision took effect on 1 January 2023 following the Employment (Amendment) Act 2022.
One thing to note: the Employment Act 1955 only covers Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan. If you’re working in Sabah or Sarawak, your entitlement comes from the Labour Ordinance of Sabah (Amendment) Act 2025 and the Labour Ordinance of Sarawak (Amendment) Act 2025 instead, both of which came into force on 1 May 2025.
The terms are the same: seven consecutive days per confinement, capped at five, with the same 12-month service and notification conditions. So the entitlement is now nationwide, just sitting under three different laws.
Civil servants are a separate track altogether, governed by JPA service circulars rather than the Employment Act, so check with your department on your grade.
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