Gender Equality

UNESA has a paternity policy that supports working parents

Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) lets fathers take up to one month of paid leave when their wife gives birth through Rector's Regulation (Peraturan Rektor) Number 37 of 2024 on UNESA Staff, in force from 1 January 2025, which grants all staff the right to leave under the national civil-service leave rules (Rector, 2024); those rules allow a father up to one month of leave for the birth with his income paid (Direktorat Kompensasi ASN, Badan Kepegawaian Negara, 2024). In January 2026 UNESA wrote this paternity leave into its own leave guideline for civil servants, permanent and fixed-term staff alike, with salary and allowances paid (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, 2026). In 2026 UNESA also encouraged fathers to share childcare through a national webinar on fatherhood and a parenting workshop for fathers and mothers.

Policy basis

Pasal 70 dan Pasal 71 ayat (2)

Pasal 2 huruf d, e dan f

Leave at childbirth for UNESA staff: civil-service leave rules applied by Rector's Regulation 37/2024

Paternity leave for fathers

Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) gives fathers paternity leave through Rector's Regulation Number 37 of 2024 on UNESA Staff, set on 1 November 2024 and in force from 1 January 2025, which gives every permanent and fixed-term staff member employed by the university the right to leave (Article 15(b), Article 16(b) and Article 70). Leave is granted by the head of the unit where the staff member works, and its requirements and procedure follow the rules for civil servants (Article 71). UNESA sets non-discrimination, justice and equality as principles of its staff policy (Article 2) (Rector, 2024). Lecturers and staff who are civil servants fall under the same national leave rules directly.

UNESA grants a male civil servant whose wife gives birth or has a caesarean section leave for important reasons (cuti karena alasan penting) of up to one month under those rules, set by the authorised official, on submission of a hospital admission letter, and keeps his income during this leave (Direktorat Kompensasi ASN, Badan Kepegawaian Negara, 2024).

In 2026 UNESA set out paternity leave in its own leave guideline for every type of staff. Rector's Circular Number B/9853/UN38/HK.01.01/2026 on Leave Guidelines for UNESA Staff, set on 26 January 2026, gives civil servants, permanent PTNBH staff and fixed-term PTNBH staff the right to leave for important reasons (section F). It states that a male UNESA employee whose wife gives birth or has a caesarean section may be given this leave on a certificate from the health service (section G.4.c), for up to one month (section G.4.e), and that during the leave he keeps his basic salary, position allowance and other allowances (section G.4.h) (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, 2026). With it, UNESA replaced its 2018 leave circular.

Enables fathers to take part in childcare

Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) enables fathers to take part in childcare through the national webinar Fatherless to Fatherhood, held on 24 July 2026 by the university's task force for the prevention and handling of violence and the Faculty of Law student executive board, where the head of the sub-directorate, Iman Pasu Purba, explained that childcare is the duty of both parents under Indonesian law and encouraged fathers to take an active part in raising their children (Direktorat Pencegahan dan Penanggulangan Isu Strategis, 2026).

UNESA trains fathers and mothers to share childcare. On 27 and 28 August 2026 the Master's programme in Early Childhood Education (S2 PAUD) of UNESA's Faculty of Education, with its alumni association and the early childhood educators' association (HIMPAUDI) of Badung Regency, Bali, held a workshop and parenting session for early childhood teachers and for parents, attended by both fathers and mothers. The session presented child care and support for a child's development as the shared duty of both parents and encouraged fathers and mothers to take equal part in it, as a contribution to SDG 4 and SDG 5 (S2 Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 2026).

UNESA publishes guidance for fathers on taking part in early childcare. On 1 June 2026 the Doctoral programme in Early Childhood Education (S3 PAUD) published an article explaining that a father's role in raising a young child goes beyond earning a living, and listing daily steps fathers can take, such as setting aside time each day to play with the child, listening to the child and joining daily routines such as meals and study (S3 Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 2026).

Further evidence

UNESA applies a policy that supports women's participation by strengthening the role of fathers in the family and in their children's education. The policy follows Government Regulation Number 11 of 2017 on Civil Servant Management, which sets the leave entitlements of civil servants as a way of protecting and fulfilling staff rights. These leave provisions are the regulatory basis for paternity leave at UNESA. The policy reinforces the principle of the father as the child's first educator in the family and gives men room to take an active part in caring for their children from the start of their lives. It is put into practice through parenting programmes, education on equal caregiving roles, and academic publications at the university on the social construction of the father's role in children's education. The policy documents are kept in a UNESA Google Drive folder (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.).

Scholarly publications at UNESA underline the importance of the father's role in children's education through research in psychology, communication and media studies. Research on wives' support for fathers' involvement shows that the quality of parenting improves when fathers receive emotional and social support from their partners and take an active part in stimulating the development of Generation Alpha children. These findings show that fathers are not only providers but also caregivers and educators. The publications broaden the academic perspective on father involvement and give a scientific basis for strengthening family policy and family education in higher education (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, n.d.).

Universitas Negeri Surabaya supports women's participation in the Dharma Wanita Persatuan (DWP) organisation as part of its commitment to gender equality. This enables women to take an active part in the organisation's social and economic activities, and it strengthens a campus culture that is fair, participatory and responsive to the needs of women as wives, mothers and members of the organisation. The DWP UNESA board for 2024-2029 was confirmed on 29 April 2025 (Dharma Wanita Persatuan Kemdiktisaintek, 2025). On 12 January 2026 DWP UNESA Campus 5 held its inaugural meeting (Kampus UNESA Magetan, 2026). On 15 June 2026 DWP UNESA held its regular meeting at the Rectorate building, organised by the Faculty of Economics and Business (Fakultas Ekonomika dan Bisnis UNESA, 2026). On 30 September 2026 it held a dance-step competition for National Sports Day 2026, attended by the Rector (Kecemedia UNESA, 2026). DWP UNESA's units share their work on ld_dwpunesa, edhucraft.dwpunesa and unesamerch on Instagram (Dharma Wanita Persatuan UNESA, n.d.).