So I was reading this article recently about how fathers of newborns across the world are starting to ask for paid paternity leaves and how they are so committed to it that they are willing to put their jobs on the line for getting to bond with their children.
The more articles I read, the more it made sense. For some reason, fathers asking time off work for their newborn is not "normal enough" as when the same is done by women. This isn't surprising though.
Maternity leave, even paid one, is a standard norm in pretty much all corporate jobs. However, when the same is asked by a new father, he is denied that benefit simply because we as a society still believe that care-taking is strictly a mother's role.
In older times, this might have made sense, but in this day and age when the boundaries between men and women are shrinking, so should the conservative beliefs and policies in corporate offices about them.
How Paternity Leave Solves Gender Wage Gap
One of the biggest reasons why women are still paid lesser than men is because it is expected that they will be taking parental leave at some point during their career.
The same, however, is not expected from men and are therefore believed to be more "loyal" to the company and generate a greater ROI, which is beneficial more so to the company than to the male employee in the long run.
This, as you guessed it, is part of what creates the gender wage gap. Paternity leaves for fathers solve this problem by breaking the stereotype that men are supposed to work while women are supposed to be at home taking care of the newborn baby.
As parental leave equates between men and women, so will their income as women will have the freedom to spend more time at work. Parents can figure out a way to use their parental leaves in a way in which neither their baby is compromised, nor their jobs.
How Paternity Leave Benefits The Business
Paternity leaves, in general, are said to increase productivity in male employees as they are mentally (and physically) healthier after developing a deeper bond in their family.
That's not surprising, to be honest. A lot of male employees who have recently become fathers report being less productive at work if not granted leave as they constantly desire to spend more time with their newborn.
Moreover, companies that do provide a generous paid paternity leave, are seen as forward-looking and are preferred by millennials significantly more than the ones that don't.
Not to mention how employees who are provided a leave stay in their jobs and remain loyal to their company more often. This is very important to understand because the average millennial is known to change his job frequently.
How Paternity Leave Benefits The Family
It's almost a no-brainer to think of the advantages families can have when both the parents are offered parental leaves. For starters, it's no longer in the hands of the mother alone to take care of the newborn.
This allows the father to be more involved in the family from early on in the most sensitive age of their child, which further allows for a balance in work and life responsibilities for both the parents.
Like we talked about earlier, this is good not only for the overall physical wellness of the parents but also their mental health which results in better parenting and decreased chances of childhood trauma.
This way, when both the parents are free from their work responsibilities, it gives the power to manage and maintain their lives and the life of their newborn more effectively.
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