From next month, fathers will be entitled to one week of government-paid paternity leave. They can also now enjoy a week of shared parental leave taken from the mother's 16 week maternity leave entitlement. However several MPs, including NMP and SMU Assistant Professor of Law Eugene Tan, have called for parents to be given the autonomy to decide how they can best utilise their leave. Assistant Prof Tan said: "If the couple agrees that the father should spend more time with and caring for the newborn, why not give a couple the liberty to split the wife's 16 weeks of maternity leave, with the father taking on anything between one to eight or more weeks of shared parental leave? Let's not be too prescriptive. Can we consider moving away from unique leave schemes for mothers and fathers, and graduate towards a broader understanding of shared parental leave?”