Case for supporting paternity leave for men
Introduction
We believe that true equality between men and women will not be
reached until men and boys take on 50 percent of the care giving and domestic
work. Equal leave policies for both parents, policies that are well paid and
non-transferable, have been gaining global attention in recent years, for good
reason. They have proven to be some of the most effective policies in
encouraging men’s care giving and promoting greater equality in the household,
workplace, and society as a whole, particularly when embedded within broader
strategies to reduce and redistribute care work. However,
while maternity leave is now offered in nearly all countries, new fathers are only
given leave in 92 countries. Now is the time to ensure the right of all parents
to be able to care for their children and families. Leave for fathers in conjunction with leave for mothers and
additional structural solutions, and when enshrined in national policies, has
the power to contribute significantly to the recognition and redistribution of
care work and to transform deeply rooted inequalities between men and women.
These policies can be an effective mechanism for changing the gendered dynamics
of care-giving at home and elevating the status of care giving more broadly.
Leave for a father promotes women’s equal pay and advancement in the workforce
and men’s disconnectedness at home. It boosts employees’ morale and productivity,
and reduces turnover. It allows governments to send a clear signal that all
parents matter in the lives of their children. Fathers,
like mothers and other caregivers, need support to care for their children, including
time off from work after the birth of a child.
According to
national data, only 15% of male and female workers have access to paid leave
through their employer. This access varies tremendously by income: only 4% of
the lowest wage workers have access to paid leave compared to 24% for the
highest wage workers. And even when women and men have access to paid leave
they often don’t use it all, particularly fathers. What gives? How can support
fathers and mothers to give their all when it comes to caring for their
children? To explore this critical issue impacting men, women and future
generations, Dove Men Care and Prom undo partnered to carry out a pioneering
study on what keeps fathers from taking parental leave and being the fully
involved caregivers they want to be.
According to Prom undo and Dove Men Care carried out an online
survey of men and women ages 25-45. The study took place in April and May 2018
and included 1,088 men (83% of whom were fathers), and 626 women (64% of whom
were mothers); more men were included to allow for in-depth analyses of their
perceptions about care-giving while still providing reliable comparisons to
women overall and mothers. The sample was proportional for all regions of the
country and for all major ethnic groups. 96% of respondents defined themselves
as heterosexual, with the rest affirming another sexual identity. In addition
to caring for children, 17% of respondents cared for an adult family member who
was elderly, ill or disabled. From his research showed the percentage of change
jobs to be more involved in caring for a newborn was fathers.
In the summary of Promundo survey confirmed that men want to be
involved caregivers. What hold them back are outdated societal expectations and
whether they receive the support they need from their workplace, as well as
other social touch points. By supporting fathers, they can enable them to be the
best they can be at work and at home. In turn, paternity leave would help
contribute to improving gender equality in society they said, By supporting fathers,
employers can improve their recruitment and retention of top talent and also
mention their summary both men who might leave to be fully involved at home and
women who can find the time to excel at work when their male partners are fully
involved with child care.
For advocates of paternity leave, recent years have brought some
good news. High-profile companies like Amazon, Netflix, and Microsoft have
created or expanded their programs. Twenty-nine percent of organizations now
offer some paid leave for fathers, up from 21% According to the Society for
Human Resource Management. And steadily, more states are creating paid family
leave insurance programs, which include leave for new fathers. But overall, the
picture is bleak. 71% of organizations not offering paternity leave are nothing
to celebrate. Even among large businesses with at least 10,000 employees,
almost half (48%) lack paternity leave. Worse, when paternity leave is offered,
the pressures on men not to take it are often extreme. Some new dads have been
fired, demoted and lost job opportunities for doing so.
My book, All In, is filled with such stories, and parents often
share. A lawyer in Florida recently told that his boss said to him, “they have
six weeks of paternity leave, but he couldn’t take any.” Public relations
executive in California told her husband’s boss criticized him, asking, “Why
isn’t his wife doing that?” In a survey helped develop for Dove Men Care (a
brand I partner with) and Promundo, 73% of fathers said there’s little
workplace support for them. Twenty-one percent fear losing their jobs if they
take their full paternity leave. “They are still held back by two traditional
stereotypes: that the men are the primary breadwinners and women are the
primary caregivers for children,” the survey found. These stereotypes, vestiges
of the Mad Men era, hurt everyone. They hold back women’s careers, since
families are left with no choice but for women to do more care-giving. They hurt
children, who need time with both parents. They damage businesses, which lose
great women and men. EY found that men are even more likely than women to
switch jobs or careers to have more time with their families. It isn’t easy to
stand up to the pressures against taking paternity leave. With a new child in
the home, things are hectic and, in most cases, money is tight. The last thing
dads can do is risk their jobs and careers.
But men in this situation need to know they’re not alone. After launched
a legal fight against CNN/Time Warner for fair paternity leave, people all over
the country and around the world issued public statements of support. Numerous
colleagues of mine were openly supportive as well. All this made a huge
difference. (Ultimately, the company changed its policy, in a win-win for both
sides.)
So to fight this battle for the sake of women, men, businesses, all
of society, and most importantly children who need time with both their mothers
and fathers we need to stick together.
Conclusion
Leave policies that offer paid, non-transferable leave for men and
women help to advance gender equality, social justice, and the well-being of
women, children, and men. Women, when men take leave, it helps women keep their
jobs, their employ ability, and their prospects in the labor market; decreases
women’s care and domestic burden; and improves women’s health and well-being. As
Children, globally, an overwhelming amount of evidence confirms that men’s
engaged and responsive participation in their children’s lives has positive
effects. As a Men; Men who are involved in their children’s lives have longer,
healthier ones themselves. They experience better mental health, better
relationships, and more personal satisfaction. As an Employer; Paid leave is
increasingly shown to be good for business, improving retention of employees,
increasing morale and productivity, reducing absenteeism and turnover, and
reducing training and staff-replacement costs. As well as the Societies; leave
for fathers have benefits at all levels of society, contributing to the
recognition and redistribution of care work, and to the transformation of
deeply rooted inequalities between men and women.
