Topic: Fathers should get equal paternity leave. (Read 314 times)

This is deep as my inner mind kept communicating to my true self if this thing can happen in reality because the man that should be granted a paternity leave will be married but since everything is possible and the man choosing to do according to what you have said, is he then going to be married with so many women or he will end up having an affair with different women and getting them pregnant ? I believe before the issue of paternity leave will be passed into law there are some rules that will be followed before doing so.

Maternity leave mostly have been just to the mother who just gave birth to the child I do not want to disagree with men having sometime with their family after the birth of there child but I think the situation should call for it and if need be the man can be given less duties to have sometime to spend with his family at least during the period maternity leave if he can not be granted full time leave .

I think it would be indeed nice of father could also enjoy some time with their new-born child and with their spouse, who just gave birth. It is not about the bond there could exist between the father and the son , but also all the help the man could provide to the woman during the recovering process. Helping her by providing care, food, companionship, taking care of the child when she is too tired to do so, among other things.

Though, I doubt we will ever see such laws in support for married men, because the current tendency is to enhance laws protecting women's rights and ignoring those who mostly focus on men, as if we did not mattered as much as they do in the first place. That is specially true in western countries.

So I would not expect to see that law to pass through legislation in my life time.

Aptly correct. Men need it to help us heal emotionally not just women who give birth. I’m talking from experience. I was safe when my boss knows I was really breakdown due to excessive stress from work and to meet my family needs and that of my wife who was put to birth.

It depends on which state, if the matriarchy does not give a man a vacation.

another thing to note..

a woman cannot get re-pregnant whilst already pregnant. and such they cannot do end-to-end maternity leave non stop.. however a guy can lay multiple woman and if granted paternity leave per pregnancy seeded by him, could end up never having to work again simply by spreading his progeny across many woman to claim multiple paternity leaves per year

A mother has many physical and mental problems.  As a result of physical changes, many complications are created, then there is mental tension.  So I think maternity and paternity leave are definitely needed when the baby is born, but the leave needs to be a little different.  For example, after the birth of a child, the mother is physically and mentally tired and needs a lot of time to recover, so the mother has to take leave for a certain number of months.  A father, on the other hand, has a lot of stress but is not physically affected so he can usually return to work within a few days.  The father is required to stay by the wife's side after the child is born.  If the father is present during childbirth, the protection and care of mother and child is ensured.

I think it's not necessary for a man and woman to have equal leave after childbirth. Infact, I don't even think if a man deserve to go for leave because during childbirth the woman have more responsibilities than the man, she carry the child in her belly for good nine months and during childbirth her body system undergoes many processes that affect her physically and mentally and after the childbirth it will take the woman more time to regain her strenght so considering the process a woman go through during childbirth, I believe the woman need more leave than the man

I'm totally against that to be honest.

Both mother and father should have guarantees from the employer that they won't be let go if they take a break due to childbirth, but they both should not get any compensation in that time. They do not work, right? So why should they be paid?

When you decide to have a child you should have a certain amount of savings. In other words, you plan for it.

Well, you're not wrong about both parents having to financially plan for expected child but that's mostly a responsibility of the father to which the woman can always help in where she can assist in the plan. And of course it's not an accidental occurrence which is why any to be parent would have made some savings ahead within the next  nine months towards it.

Being a supportive partner isn't anything that has to be achieved given a leave period and, that a paternal leave isn't given to the man doesn't mean he can't bond with his family on weekends. Moreover, family member like the man's mum or the woman's mum coming to spend weeks or a month in helping to give care to both the nursing mother and child makes the idea of paternal leave unnecessary.

Have you ever been a father? Every father loves his children but I bet they can hardly be with their children as long as any mother, let alone take care of newborns and postpartum mothers. It sounds simple but it is not and not many men can do it. If you conduct a poll of fathers, they will tell you that between the choice of going to work and staying home to care for their children, they would choose to go to work instead of staying home as you think.

Also, of course any couple will prepare financially and plan before having a baby, but you need to know that not everyone has a stable economy to the point of having enough money to spend for 2 to 3 months without going to work. Not to mention there will be unexpected expenses that we cannot foresee.
Caring for a child can cost 2 or 3 times more than you originally planned and even more if you want the best for your child.

I am a father of 2 and I can tell you I have experience in this. So I think men don't need to take leave when their wives give birth. If it were me, I would also turn down that offer and continue working to earn more money because I want the best for my child.

If you truly love your wife and children, you will know how to organize your work, time and spend time with them without interrupting your life. If you can do that, you are a responsible father, husband and man.

I believe that both parents should plan ahead financially for a child. A one- or two-month leave shouldn't lead to financial struggles. Childbirth isn't unexpected; it's a nine-month process. Parents should have investments.

Working couples, mom and dad, deserve support during this time. Maternal leave is essential, and paternal leave should also be considered. Women go through postpartum recovery, and having a supportive partner is crucial. While family members may help, having your partner alongside you makes a significant difference.

Paternal leave, even if just one month, allows men to bond with their child and support their partner. It's not necessary to choose between work and family; remote or hybrid work arrangements can provide flexibility.

Childbirth affects both parents emotionally. Men can experience depression due to societal expectations of toughness. Paternal leave acknowledges their emotional struggles and allows them to support their partner's physical and emotional healing, bond with their baby, adjust and appreciate fatherhood.

Paternal leave period can be shorter than women's, but it's should be a thing. Both parents should have financial plan before the baby arrives so that can prioritize family .

Fatherhood is more than providing; it includes being present and involved too. And it's not a crime for men to learn basic childcare skills like changing diapers and bathing. Making a child is a joint effort, raising a child should be a joint effort too with unique contributions from both parties.

Making money available to the family to have provisions for everything mother and would child need to stay comfortable should be what a man should bother himself with mostly. If am taking a leave to stay at home what my newly born child and mother what am I staying to do? Is It to change diaper, breastfeed the child  or what?

Women are giving childbirth leave:
To give them time to heal.
Get them psychologically fit from the labour process stress. Etc.

What is a man taking the leave for?

The most important thing is knowing where you live. If you live in third world countries that full of exploitation, how do you expect your company can give paternity leave, not to mention with the maternity leave.

In third world countries, many companies not even give maternity leave, if they see their employee is pregnant, instead of giving her maternity leave, they will fire the employee.

You must be young, not in relationship and not pregnant if you want to be qualified for working in third world countries.

Paternity leave doesn't mean you didn't receive salary, you still get salary and you don't have to work.

I don't agree with this. The maternity leave is given because they gave birth or are about to give birth, not because they need to support a family member or something. The man is not giving birth. Except he's in a line of work where he doesn't see his family every day like soldiers that deploy or those that work offshore, other than that, there's no point in a paternity leave. He spends his work-free hours with his wife and family and gives them all the help they need. In case of an emergency, he can easily leave work and go home or wherever he's required.
I don't see a need for a paternity leave, plus they need the full salary especially during that period where the wife cannot work

this is an interesting topic that is somehow deficult to say a yes or no to because in the real sense, the fathers care to her young child could help in providing the basic emotional support both the child and the mother needs at that tender age. Some father's that cares for the wife do join her in the labour room and encourage her through the process of child bearing. Even though he's got no serious role to play in that environment, his presence could make a lot of different in how the woman goes through that process. For that, I would also aggre that if the man is able to, it's not out of place to play such role.

When the child is eventually given birth to, apart from the few days which can be either two to three days, there's no point sitting back and leaving your work just because you have to provide emotional support for your young child. You need money to run the house hold and if the wife will be staying off for months before returning back to office, it's not proper that the man also stays back. You've got evenings and morning to bond with your child as much as they want and if you don't work in the weekend, you can spend all those times with your family and that's just okay. Most of the care the child needs at a tender age are what the relatives can even help out with.

In a traditional African setting, when you've given birth to your child, your mum, the mum of your husband and your female siblings usually comes around to render all the support the child needs till the child has grown to a large extent. You don't have to be 100% available before bonding well with your child. As long as you're concerned enough to show care and support once you're back from office and can provide for all the house needs while your wife can't assist you with finance, that's good enough.

In theory it makes sense for fathers to also enjoy the privilege of taking paternity leaves like newly delivered mothers that takes break from work for maternity leaves. It'll be good for the fathers to also enjoy watching and caring for their newborns . But in practical a family needs money to take care of their responsibilities, and if the both parents stays at home with the baby, without sufficient funds on ground, it won't be fun. Women are the ones that carries babies in their stomach for nine months, they're the ones that goes through the labor of childbirth, therefore they're the ones that it's obligated to have the martanity leave.

I agree with you because for me I don't think fathers should have an equal paternity leave as there wife because they are not the ones carrying the child, so actually if there should be a leave, if a woman is giving three months maternity leave men should be given only three weeks or a month because they have no much work since the wife is the one carrying all the loads, besides that is why is even difficult to see a company given such Paternity leave to their workers because they no that on the absence of the husband the wife will take care of everything, though I no that men play some certain roles especially when their wife is pregnant such as helping with the chores and some words of encouragement but those things can be handled on their absence.

But you forget one thing that taking care of postpartum women and newborns is not simple, and not every man can do it. Sometimes men can only help mentally but when it comes to manual work I believe there are not many who can do it.

I have 2 children and not only me but many of my friends are in the same situation. After giving birth, most of us will ask our maternal/paternal grandmothers or those who are better off will hire a maid. Husbands are almost all clumsy in taking care of newborn babies.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea but I find it unnecessary and wasteful. Instead, I think the husband should work harder to have more money to provide for his wife and children. We can go to work to earn extra money and spend the evening with our wives and children, which is much more beneficial than both of us taking time off work to take care of the children.

Do you want to change what some government or companies has signed for their workers to experience in their leave, women really deserve the maternity leave during their child birth because they know how stressful for a woman to carry a child in her womb complete nine months before giving birth. If father go a long leave, it will affect the company or the family because the children will begin to give their father more bill, distub with different Play that will make their father not to enjoy the leaves company granted him.

In my opinion maternity leave isn’t just about spending time with the kid. It’s recovering from childbirth both physically and emotionally. I would imagine that is a traumatic event and they deserve extra time on their own that a man doesn’t deserve to have. Men should get time with their kids too, don’t get me wrong. A woman is far more deserving and needing of it though and they should get all the time they want with the life they just created.

(pre-emphasis, i am a male)
if men can lactate, sure give them more paternity to feed the kid day and night
if men can gestate a baby, sure give them more paternity to incubate and push out a baby and then heal from the pains of pregnancy/childbirth

else
let the woman continue to have maternity at the fullest length needed, both pre birth and post birth.. because the slippery slope of giving men more paternity is to then shorten the maternity due to some misogynous men thinking the women should get back to work just x days after birth, because ignorant men think maternity/paternity is just an extended allotment of vacation days

women should be legally allowed to start maternity upto or more than 11 weeks pre-birth(if they have a gyno/midwife report of complications/pains related to pregnancy) and upto a year post birth(if needed)

In Finland paid parental leave lasts 320 days, and that's 160 working days for each parent. Government is paying parental allowance from that time. So i guess it's a matter of values on what citizens actually want.

Also "not showing emotions" isn't a good reason, that's just enforcing bad stereotypes. Women are traditionally encouraged to do that from the start. Men need to be trusted to learn that and encouraged to do so. Also it's not just about showing emotions, but listening and trying to understand to others and accepting their emotions (aka empathy).

Sorry, but in my country company's HRs do everything to not even grant maternity leaves to eligible mothers, leave apart giving leaves to the father.  

Nah, when such things come in. You now will start hearing people advocating for equal baby sitting times as well, all in the name of equality in gender roles, which we all know is not possible because man and woman were created to perform different roles.
Even if fathers are to take paternity leaves, they should last shorter than that of the mothers.

I am sure that many companies also have this incentive given by their companies. So, it's a matter of what type of company you're working and if they don't give importance to paternity leave then you think again, you should find one that gives you these credits of paternity leave for you to enjoy your fatherhood with your newborn. But in most cases, I think this is also situational. Even if the father wants to take a leave, he just can't. Most of us are providers and if we won't work, we provide nothing but only that benefit or incentive from that paternity leave and the worse, those that don't have these leave credits and that's why even if they want to leave and be absent enjoying that right, they just can't.

It's interesting to see us discuss these issues at a time when matters around gender equity or equality continues to get more traction. Childbirth is a process that happens with the collaboration between the man and the woman. In the case of marriage, the husband and the wife will have to cohabiting to be able to give birth to a child. If that's the case, the Child also needs the care of the father as much as it will need the care of the mom. I can argue that the absence of the father during the very early and delicate days of the newborn, usually contributes to the reason why children are generally more relatable to their mom than their dad.

If a child is born, he or she needs the presence and collaboration of both parents to contribute to their caregiving. When both the dad and the mom are present, it will significantly increase the child's development process especially when both parents partake in taking care of the child emotionally and socially. This is because for most couples, the husband used to be more social and can easily imbibe that to the child. I wish many workplaces could start implementing this idea of giving both parents a parental leave to take care of their newlyborn babies, society would have been better than it is today.

I agree that fathers also need paternity leave but not as much as women. Fathers go through serious emotional and psychological stress during the pregnancy and delivery stage. But mothers go through physical, emotional, psychological and all-around problems. A woman might not be able to engage in any meaningful activity after childbirth for weeks but a man can overcome the effect in a few days. In my country, the woman gets about three months' leave while the man will have to get back to work in a few days if his employer is lenient because they are not entitled to paternity leave.

Being a mother is not a small thing, No matter how the father try it will never be the same as mother that is why you can see man of us that leave together with our parents like mother more than our father, mother and a child need a father because it is very important for them, they need who to support them to make them feel good without having any stress but is still the best, imagine pushing a whole human being out after carrying the pregnant for 9 months, if it was a man that is carrying a pregnant it will not be funny.

No matter how it is don't argue with a woman when it comes to giving birth or talking about a child because they have been through the process before, we should never compare mother and father together because every one has their responsibilities to take when it comes to child and any time we talk about this we should know that mother is always number one.

Most persons will disagree with you, basically because they believe mothers are the ones who go through the agony of childbirth, so primarily, they are the one that have number one naturally bond with their offsprings, that is why court judges always make judgement in favour of the mothers when it comes to children custody. Father can over time develop bond with their children too, considering that they are the father figures in those children life but not when it comes to full custody.

If there is a case of divorce and there are issues concerning who will take custody of the children arises, most judges will ask the father to play the financial role in the up bringing of the children, because they believe fathers don't have the time to wipe diapers, wake up early to bath the children and take them to school and bring them back. However fathers can always ask the children to come and stay with him during holidays, at least such a time will allow him spend quality time with them.

Well I would agree but mothers get maternity leave because physically they are still unfit to work especially if they work requires extensive physical labor. Imagine pushing out a whole human being out of you after carrying said human for 9 months. It can’t be easy + some do not have normal deliveries.

While I agree with the concept of paternity leave, I still think that maternity leave still needs to be polished. Some countries do not give off proper maternity leave and some companies are not at all considerate of pregnant women. So, I think it’ll be better to take one thing at a time.

Yes and no. A woman gets severely battered during childbirth, and even more if there is a C-section or the like. You have to let mom and child be together for a long initial period so that they both recover their sense of safety and calm. After that, in terms of child care, yes you would want males to have an equal right, and it is being implemented in a few countries.

Companionship is one of the most important connections human beings crave, most especially from one's spouse. For a woman who has just given birth, it would be a very nice feeling if they could have their husbands beside them during this process.

Childbirth is a biological process that is normal, but also takes a toll on the psychological and mental health of both parents. Though men hardly show their emotions, but if you've met a man who lost a child and seen how broken he was, you will understand that the pain and joy of nurturing a child doesn't only depend on the mother.

The man also deserves leave because childbearing is a family thing,  both the mother and child need the man's support, care, and protection, as well as a great bond as a family, not just a mother-to-child bond, but rather a parent-to-child bond.