Abstract
Child mortality remains a pressing public health concern in Nigeria, with significant implications
for gender equality and national development. Parental leave policies play a crucial role in reducing
child mortality rates by ensuring that infants receive adequate care, breastfeeding, and medical
attention in the critical early months of life. These policies simultaneously serve as a proxy measure
for gender equality, particularly in terms of redistributing caregiving responsibilities, supporting
women’s workforce participation, and equal contribution to national development. However, how
parental leave policies are operationalised across public and private sectors not only vary and
poorly understood, but also how this relates to gender equality has not been adequately interrogated.
How does parental leave policy in Nigeria’s public and private sectors impact child mortality rates?
What is their variation(s), if any, and how do they influence gender equality? This paper examines
the relationship between child mortality, parental leave, and gender equality in Nigeria’s public and
private sectors. The study adopts Motherism and human capital theory as its theoretical guide,
secondary data to explore disparities in leave entitlements, workplace policies, gender equality, and
their broader socio-economic implications.