President of the Fathers Association, Rhondell Feeles, is calling for extended paternity leave, warning that policies geared only toward women will continue to exclude and marginalise fathers.
His comments came after former UNC Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial-Ramdial called for long-term support for working mothers during a sermon at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Gasparillo last weekend.
Speaking to Guardian Media, Feeles said, “I understand the danger of requesting policy to be drafted in the benefit of mothers, opposed to having it drafted in the benefit of parents.”
He said policies that are drafted solely in the interest of mothers can harm families and deprive children of care.
“Should I remind the country of the social development policy that they had where only single mothers… caused children of single fathers to be rejected from public assistance,” Feeles said. “The fathers at the time were being deemed as the breadwinners. So he could not, in needy times, seek refuge on behalf of his children.”
With Father’s Day on the horizon, Feeles also raised concerns about hospital policies that deny fathers access to their children in the absence of a mother.
“Some fathers who’ve gone to the hospital… because the policy was just pro-mother, they couldn’t stay with their children in the waiting room. They had to go and get the mother.”
Calling for comprehensive parental policies, Feeles added, “I have seen children be disenfranchised. I’ve seen families being separated because of the way we’ve crafted policy in the past.”
He claimed there was inequity in National Insurance contributions and leave entitlements. “We have fathers that make national insurance contributions the same and as many as their female colleagues. Yet they do not have the luxury of going on meaningful paternity leave.”
He said the CPO directive gives only two to three days’ leave to permanent public servants and none to temporary workers. “These are policies that we need to look at.”
Feeles called for parental policies that reflect modern family dynamics. “We’re in a society of husbands and wives now… you want to have a work policy that does not deprive the father bringing his child back to the workplace.”
He warned, “If the policy was crafted pro-mother, the policy needs to be pro-parent. I can guarantee you we’re going to run back up into the same problems.”
Last week Sunday, Lutchmedial-Ramdial said many mothers are struggling as she advocated for better structural systems to support working mothers.
“Support paid maternity leave, maternal healthcare, and childcare initiatives. Strong families lead to strong communities,” she said.
“These policies are often branded as ‘women’s issues’ but they are in fact national issues, because if we accept that women are nation builders, then we accept that the policies that would allow them to discharge that function more effectively are national issues.”
Lutchmedial-Ramdial said flexible systems were needed to accommodate working mothers. “Create flexible systems that honour mothers’ dual roles at work and home.”
Referring to the pandemic, she said, “In this day and age, the year 2025, after we all lived through a pandemic where we had no choice to work remotely, I find it amazing that people would make an issue of persons working remotely.”
She shared her mother’s experience commuting daily between San Fernando and Port-of-Spain. “My mother worked 8-4 in Port-of-Spain while we lived in San Fernando. But really, she worked 6 am to 6 pm because she lost hours of her day to traffic.”
Lutchmedial-Ramdial said changes in leadership should inspire structural reform. “Kudos to the leaders who are showing that this is possible, and hopefully more people will take heed… It’s not a women’s issue, it’s a national issue.”
She also called for more community-based support: “Promote marital counselling, father involvement, and family devotions. A healthy family is the seedbed of national strength.”
