SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) – A Care Workshop on the island of Grenada confirms that seven days paternity leave is not enough.
“When a child enters the world, the foundation of their life is built by two parents. Yet, our current legislation does not fully reflect this shared reality. While mothers are granted sixteen weeks of paid leave to recover and bond, fathers, the child’s other parent, currently receive seven days of leave,” Member of Parliament (MP) Sjamira Roseburg said in a press statement on Friday.
“We must acknowledge how we got here. These seven days did not appear out of thin air. Former MP Tamara Leonard championed this change and it was implemented by the former administration. Before her efforts, fathers in Sint Maarten had no statutory paternity leave at all.
“That was a real and meaningful step forward, and credit must be given where it is due. At the time, then-MP Tamara Leonard advocated for a more ambitious approach, proposing fourteen days of paid paternity leave. However, this did not receive the necessary support from SZV and other stakeholders at the time.
“In order to prevent further delay and ensure that progress was still made, the compromise of seven days of paid leave was adopted as a starting point. But a step forward is not the finish line. Seven days nowadays is simply not enough, and it is time we build on that foundation to create a system that truly supports the modern family.
“I am currently attending the “Better Practices in Legislation, Policy, and Financing Subsidised Care Systems” workshop for Caribbean Parliamentarians in Grenada. This engagement has reinforced a vital truth: care is not a “women’s issue”. It is a family issue, a societal issue, and a policy issue.
“The International Labour Organization (ILO) has long advocated for shared responsibility. When a baby is born, both parents need time to bond, establish routines, and participate in the physical and emotional recovery that follows birth. Fathers are not “helpers”. They are parents. When we limit them to one week, we send a message that their presence at home is secondary.
“That message has consequences. Mothers carry an unequal load and can fall behind in their careers, while fathers may remain less involved as the child grows. Across the Caribbean and the Kingdom, we see successful models that prioritize family wellbeing. “On the French side of St. Martin, fathers have been entitled to twenty-eight days of paid leave since 2021. Barbados, in 2025, became the first CARICOM country to introduce three weeks of statutory paid paternity leave. In the Netherlands, fathers receive one week of full pay, followed by five weeks at seventy percent salary, allowing them to actually afford to take the time.
“These examples show that meaningful, paid leave is not only possible, but practical. These regional perspectives help us evaluate what is possible for Sint Maarten and what would work the best for us. We are not looking for a radical leap, but a sensible evolution that brings us in line with international standards. This will be a holistic approach gathering input from all parties.
“I also want to speak directly to our business community. I understand that changes to leave entitlements raise practical questions, especially for small businesses. Your concerns are valid and must be part of the solution. Good legislation should not be imposed, but rather designed. My move toward legislative action will be focused on evidence-based policy, including a structured survey to gather data from employers and employees alike.
“We must also explore a balanced approach, looking at flexible financing and support structures so that the cost of care does not fall solely on employers if longer paid leave is introduced. At the same time, we must ensure inclusivity by bridging the gap between maternity, paternity, and broader parental leave, including adoption leave. Families in Sint Maarten today look different than they did twenty years ago.
“The old idea that one parent works while the other stays home is no longer the reality for most. Our laws must reflect the world we actually live in. By updating our parental leave laws, we are not just helping fathers. We are strengthening mothers, supporting adoption parents, improving employee retention for businesses, and ensuring our children grow up with both parents present from day one. The foundation has been laid, and it is now time to build on it,” MP Roseburg concluded in her press statement.
