Do you think men should take paternity leave?

Question

...whether it be the whole amount of time or a portion of the allotted time off to take care of the baby? Should it be only the woman who takes it or do you think it's O.K. for a man and a woman to share the time off?

Interesting article about men fearing to take paternity leave: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506E6D9173CF932A05756C0A9669C8B63

Answer 1

Yes, absolutely. It should be independent of the mother's time off (maternity leave is not just a matter of taking care of the baby, but it's recovery from childbirth/c-section and establishing a good breastfeeding routine). It's just as important for a father to bond with a new infant as a mother.

Answer 2

Oh yeah!

Answer 3

An how exactly became the responsibility of the company that a person wanted to have a baby?

Who will do the work?

And why should the company pay for a decision that was made by the individuals?

IMBO: Companies are not charities. And if a person does not want to do the work to go and do other things. Its the person responsibility, not the company one. If a person wants a leave, it should be without payment.

Answer 4

There are companies that do offer paternity leave.  And I know a couple men who have used it.  Both guys did the same thing:  they took their paternity leave when their wives ran out of maternity leave.  That way, the new baby could stay at home for those extra weeks before absolutely have to go to daycare.  It help the bonding of both parents with the new child, as well as each other.  I highly applaud those men who want to share in this responsibility.

Answer 5

Absoluteley

Answer 6

Definitely!!!  For several weeks at least.  Isn't this covered under FMLA?

Answer 7

Women do it, why not men?

Answer 8

Why shouldn't they? It's their kid, too.

Answer 9

Maternity or paternity leave in Canada is paid for by Employment Insurance benefits. (Which ALL working people pay into)  It is the same duration for mothers AND fathers, 6 months if both choose to take it, or a full year if one parent chooses to take the leave of absence.

I have no idea how many Canadian fathers take advantage of it, but the option is there if they choose to take it.  And IMO it's a great idea.

Edit: Lol!  Hey, it's lunch and the internet is boring!  :P

Answer 10

Yes, I believe there are certain circumstances that would make a certain amount of paid time off a reasonable gesture to fathers--paternity leave or sick children in a two-working-parents home.

Answer 11

I think they should take at least the first week off to be with the mom and help out and bond with the baby.  Then I think they should take paternity leave again after the mother's maternity leave runs out.  This allows the father bonding time, plenty of time to get his business affairs in order, saves on the need for child care, and, basically, shares the load.

Answer 12

I think that men should be able to get paternity leave just as a woman does because it is hard sometimes for the woman to do everything herself(cooking, cleaning and taking care of new baby) for the first month of so. I think that the woman should be the one taking care of the baby mostly though.

Answer 13

i think men should take paternity leave. if i ever have kids, i wanna be there to see em grow and support my significant other.

Answer 14

For most fathers it's hard to take more than a week without pay with another mouth to feed.  Most companies don't pay for paternity leave.

Answer 15

I think they should! They need to bond with their child too.

Answer 16

I will take paternity LEAVE when I grow a set of b***s to feed the baby.  We are planning to have our second baby next year and my wife want to go to college.  If any of you women have an extra set of b***s on your back or somewhere, please do donate it to me.

Answer 17

YES i do!!! :-) i would love for men and women to have the same amount of time off, or for couples to be allotted a time to share out between them. all couples have different situations. in some, the man earns more than the woman and she is happy to take all the time off. others, the man wants to spend some time with his newborn. sometimes the mother wants to get back to work after three months.

women of child bearing age may be discriminated against in job applications because of the current set up (at least in the uk). employers are worried that a 30 something will get pregnant and take a year off. several employers have told me this. the laws need to be changed to be fairer.

edit

yes > women may need more time due to recovery from childbirth etc., but i'm sure this could all be factored in :-)

heather - that's great. i think they were thinking of introducing something similar in the uk, but they haven't so far

Answer 18

I took 3 weeks off when my daughter was born. 2 my company gave to me as a paid leave of absense and 1 I used out of my vacation time. They were not obligated at the time so I lucked out. Ask and ye shall receive.

Answer 19

My brother in law took paternity leave since his wife was still in Teachers College.  I think it's great!  They should get the same privlidges as a woman in this area.

And yes, they should be able to share this time off, being a parent is very important, they should both have the oppourtunity to enjoy it!

Answer 20

Only if the woman he married is to lame to be able to handle some thing as simple as a new baby!!

Answer 21

yep, the mum needs support whilst shes pregnant/just had bubby.

Answer 22

Absolutely! In fact it should be mandatory. Men are right to fear taking the time off, but women have no choice but to take a leave. Why should they be the only ones to suffer the discrimination?