Paternity Leave Research Paper

1132 Words5 Pages
Should Men Get Paid Paternity Leave from Work? Parental leave is an employee benefit that allows for paid or unpaid time off after the birth or adoption of a child. In a recent poll it was shown that 72 percent of American women and 63 percent of men thought fathers should be allowed to take more that two weeks off for the birth or adoption of a child (Oxygen/Markle). However, very few companies in the United States offer paid paternity leave. Mothers should not be the only ones offered leave, fathers should be given the chance to accept time off to care for a new child as well. With the continuous battle of gender equality, parental leave continues to be the biggest difference between men and women. Mothers are given time off to heal and recuperate after the birth of a child while fathers are expected to help with the responsibilities of a new child as well as maintain normalcy at work. Men need time to recuperate and bond with…show more content…
Many fathers will miss out on many of the firsts a child has in the first few months of life at home due to work. The most influential years of a child’s life are the first five. Allowing a father to experience the first twelve weeks is not a difficult request. The bond between a father and a child is often not as strong as that of a mother and a child. The earlier a father get involved in his child’s life the more he will be involved later in life. The more time they spend doing tasks like diapering, bathing, soothing, and feeding the more comfortable they become. Being comfortable allows them to be more at ease and happy with their child. These things are what relationships are formed on. Being able to spend one on one time with their child, fathers are showing more interest and care in how their children are raised. Having a strong male role model brings a feeling of security to a child’s
Open Document