On December 8, we presented our recently published research “Father on Maternity Leave” in Sarajevo, with the aim of determining whether and to what extent fathers in Bosnia and Herzegovina use maternity leave, and whether there is space for improving the laws governing this area, as well as public policies that would increase the participation of men in family life.

The editors of the research, Delila Hasanbegović-Vukas and Amina Dizdar, presented the methodology and findings of the research and made recommendations for improving the current legal provisions governing the right to maternity leave, as well as amendments and public policies that will be advocated further through the Sarajevo Open Centre’s work on this topic.

According to the research, only 13 of the 500 fathers surveyed used maternity leave, and more than half were not even familiar with the right to use maternity leave. 11.2% of fathers believe they do not need maternity leave because women are the ones who take care of children. The research is available here.