Maternity Benefit Programs: An Investment in Human Resource

Women, as bearers and rearers of children, form the foundation for bringing about the next generation of human resources for the economy. To breed good human resources, better nutrition for pregnant women & lactating mothers (PW & LM) is essential. It provides a strong economic justification for maternity benefits interventions. There is diversity in maternity benefits under the various programs implemented in different countries in formal and informal economies. Most of the developed, as well as developing countries, have legislation/policies for providing universal health coverage for PW & LM employed in the formal economy. But women employed in the informal economy lack social protection and paid maternity leaves, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The informal sector employs 60 percent of the female workforce and non-contributory cash transfers can be an innovative way to improve mother and neonatal nutritional status. This study presents a state-of-the-art review of the provisions of maternity benefits and their outcome in different nations as well as their implications on maternal and newborn health. An efficiently implemented maternity benefits program with the provision of cash incentives, nutrition supplement package, and paid maternity leave has several outcomes in terms of long duration & frequent exclusive breastfeeding, distribution of resources & disintegration of poverty transfer, reduced financial and gender inequality, quality childcare – which develops self-confidence and improved social & learning skills for better competence and career attainments – reduced MMR and IMR. And it is more of an investment in its human resource rather than a financial burden for a nation. This paper also addresses key issues in the field of maternal health care and can be advantageous for both beneficiaries as well as policymakers.