The recent promulgation of the Equality Law between Sexes which has become effective since March 8, is a monumental move to most female employees at TKU. Since the female employees constitute almost half of the work force here at Tamkang U., they would ask, naturally, “Are there going to be the ‘baby-nursing’ leave after one gives birth to a child? Or if one’s husband is entitled to any free time from his employer to accompany his spouse during her parturition period ”

Since the new law is bound to affect the rights and privileges of TKU female work force, which must entail some changes in the school’s financial budget, Pres. Chang Horng-jinh and Dr. Flora C.I. Chang, V.P. for Administrative Affairs, have shown a great deal of concern over this matter. In fact, Dr. Flora C.I. Chang has already instructed the Personnel Office to map out a new draft precluding the spirit of the new law from becoming incommodious in the future.

Prof. Lo Yun-chih, Director of Personnel Office, indicated that in regard to the new regulations such as “Prevention of Sexual Discrimination”, “Exemption from Sexual Harassment” and “An Employer Is Obligated to Draft Measures to Stop Sexual Harassment and to Publish Them into Law”, TKU has drafted a new charter and has had it submitted to the Committee of Equality of Sexes for review and discussion. He believed that it will be handled by the next Administrative Meeting, which will address the issue gingerly and properly.

It is expected that the new charter will regulate very clearly the duration of the husband’s “free” leave of absence, which could be a 2-day interim. As for the nursing “vacation”, the time could be stretched to a maximum period of 2 years, depending upon the female employee’s condition, if she has accumulated one year’s time on her employment record. In regard to a female employee’s so-called “family care” rights, a maximum 7-day “business leave” as opposed to “sick leave” should be granted. Again, the “menstruation, so-called “period” leave, she should be given “one-day” sick leave on a monthly basis.

Prof. Lo, the Personnel Director, also revealed whether TKU would allow facilities such as “breast feeding” room or “day care” room to be set up on the campus---these contingencies should be left at the discretion of the next Administrative Meeting to worry about and they should also depend upon the availability of the space at the university, he further commented.