Parenting: Should Fathers Get Paternity Leave

As time advances and the world grows at a rapid pace, families are not able to have quality family time as they once did. When a family endures a newborn child the new parents are not able to spend very much time with the child. Although both male and female receive leave from work to aid the child, the leave is unpaid. The maternity leave that was granted by the government to women was a necessary option as women are traditionally tied to being a homemaker and taking care of the child during the child's infancy stage.

Whereas men take on the more instrumental role of earning a living outside the family. This creates a mutual understanding and stability among the genders. And since the baby biologically needs the mother to survive, the mother is left at home to tend for the newborn receiving no income. Forcing the father to continue working to provide income even though under the Family Medical Leave Act both parents are guaranteed 12 weeks of leave.

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So where does this leave the parents at and should fathers get paternity leave ? A sticky situation.

An American family cannot afford for a parent to go twelve weeks without pay, and the idea of both parents taking unpaid leave is out of the equation. Vicki Shabo, director of work and family programs for the National Partnership for Women & Families, states that unpaid leave is not an option for most families. She then goes on to adds that “when people are living from paycheck to paycheck and unemployment is high, there’s a real economic pressure to forgo the leave that’s needed”.

Most American families have two working parents and are still just scraping by, and any leave parents do take causes an economic stress on the family. The Family Medical Leave Act, although providing job protection, does not effectively allow parents to take leave to spend time with their newborns. As the father knows that he is the sole income source and cannot take days off as it may put even more weight on the family. He feels the obligation to continue working thus allowing him no to very little time with the baby. Resulting in poor father daughter/son bonding. Having the father home will help with daycare cost as well as the stress of the mother when she goes back to work. By the father being home, with strategic planning of the leaves, the question of who will watch the baby is out of the equation. The father being home has more benefits. Once home he can take care of the mother by cleaning around the house, changing diapers, feeding the baby, caring for the baby to let the mother rest, etc. In Sweden, parents have the right to a parental leave for up to 18 months, but women take nearly 85% of parental leave. The major goal of Swedish policy is to encourage men to take more parental leave, there are already two months of “daddy only” leave, which are lost if the father doesn’t take them. The problem with fathers taking paternity leave is that the fathers are scared to take leave for the fear that they may lose their jobs. Companies should promote paternity leave for expecting fathers and inform them on the opportunity.

By offering paternity leave for soon to be fathers, companies allow fathers to be a benefit of paid time off work to care for their child. The more that men see other men taking parental leave, the more accepted it will become. Paternity leave is especially impactful to the way men bond with their children. Studies have shown that fathers who take at least two weeks of paternity leave or more are likely to continue being involved in child caring activities, such as feeding and diapering.

As the gender barriers and roles are balancing out due to the shift of younger generations wanting equal roles in parenting. Millennials in particular are in demand for paternity leave as this group are the ones having the newest generation. In Ernst & Young’s global generational survey, 83% of American millennials said they would be more likely to join a company offering such benefits. Thus, offering equal parental leave can help attract and retain top talent.

Kate Ward, Vice President at Refinery29, said in a lounge, “We have really progressive maternity AND paternity [leave] packages at Refinery29. What this means is that men can go home and share in that childcare, and support their partners.” There are some opposition to the new norm of paid paternity leave. Some say men would prefer leaving the care giving job to the mother as she is the “expert”. Thus resulting in paternity leave being unnecessary and unnatural as men would much rather stay in their jobs, that they consider second nature. According to a study in the US, nine out of ten men took time off to be with their newborn(DOL policy brief). A second opposition stats that men do nothing because it is the women who carry the baby for nine months and do not undergo the labor pains. This statement is very true, but takes care of the future mother and provides for the family. Undergoing even more stress of worrying about the mother who is now a stay at home mom wondering if the baby in the womb is okay along with the exception mother. The third reasoning is that men do not need time to recover from any mental or physical pain. The physical pain may be true but the mental pain is far from off. The man is constantly worried and stressed about whether he can provide or not as that is the gender role pushed upon him. And once the baby is born the father is at work asking himself if the child is okay and if the mother is okay. Even besides that the father wants to see his new baby and interact with it, but he can’t if hes at work. Making his yearning for the newborn even more tense.

Paternity leave is crucial in today's society, promoting father involvement. That can help with support of mothers during and after stages of birth. Concluding this is brought upon us by the ever changing roles of male and females. Encouraging male participation but providing little fuel to get the fire started.