Should men get paternity leave from work?

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  • tladame
    tladame Posts: 465 Member
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    My husband got a better deal than I got!

    He was given 4 weeks paid paternity leave. I had to use my vacation time in order to get 100% of my pay (otherwise I would have only gotten around 65%, which doesn't pay the mortgage). It was a huge help having him around for that first month, especially to retrieve food for mama. =)

    I think men should get a few weeks paternity leave, both to help out mom and to bond with the baby.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    Oh... and while we are talking about time off and pay and what not, I would like to take this time for a little PSA.... Ladies, if you are not yet pregnant but are wanting children in the future... I highly suggest looking into Short Term Disablity.... especially if your employer does not pay for FMLA time off. The reason I say this is you could get a portion of your needed time off (I want to say up to 65% of your income) during the time you are out... depending on what company it is will determine the duration. I learned this the hard way after we had our first. :-/

    I just looked it up, my STD insurance is 60% of income, up to a maximum benefit of $1250 a week.

    I couldn't agree more! I work in HR with a school district and I don't know how many of our employees have ended up pregnant but didn't take the STD or didn't buy up to our best plan, starting at day 8 (district pays up to a base salary for coverage starting at day 31). They end up struggling by the end of it.

    Also, the link below shows the maternity/paternity leave for many countries. Sadly, only 2 or 3 countries provide unpaid leave and the USA is one of them. I am completely for paternity leave - my husband was a huge help while I was on leave!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_leave

    Thankfully, where I work I am able to accrue sick and vacation time and bank them until I have like 30 days of vacation and over 1000 hours of sick time (we get about 4 hours of each each pay period)... So I had the 6 weeks paid... but it definitely would have been nice to been able to go an extra week or two with the STD insurance... because with the disability insurance my company provides, they will pay out even if you are being paid in full from sick/vaction time... As soon as open enrollment happened this time around I snatched that up like a frog to a fly... so I can have a bit extra time next time... Especially, since it will be our second.
  • Hoakiebs
    Hoakiebs Posts: 430 Member
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    In France, the women get a year off (with full pay) and the men get 6 months (with full pay). We live in a screwed up country.
  • ShandiH
    ShandiH Posts: 232 Member
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    I think men should get paternity leave.... And according to some of the post I read, I should basically move to Canada?

    Amen! Right there with ya!
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
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    then mommy gets home and tries to ruin our plot to take over the world. lol

    Awesome!
  • annehdavis
    annehdavis Posts: 157 Member
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    I think they should have leave. My son was in the nicu and I had to stop taking pain pills after my csection so I could drive to see him daily. My husband is a wonderful father and is 50/50 with raising our three children.
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
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    STD insurance

    You have S.T.D insurance? Wouldn't that be covered by your regular health insurance? :laugh:

    Sorry...couldn't resist.....
  • QueenJayJay
    QueenJayJay Posts: 1,139
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    So if the US were to offer the same options as Canada, what would that mean for us as taxpayers?
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
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    I think they should be allowed paid leave in the US. Well, not with my first husband. He was a useless schmuck. Hence the title of 'first'.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    I'm just glad my company has good benefits.
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
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    People don't realize how completely screwed women in the US are when it comes to childbearing until they look worldwide, and see other countries that actually encourage parents to bond and take care of their children. Want to know where the decline of the family begins in the United States? Right after birth, when both parents have to go back to work and send their child to a daycare all day just to make ends meet.

    To answer the question, yes, they should get paternity leave, just like the mom gets maternity.
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
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    So if the US were to offer the same options as Canada, what would that mean for us as taxpayers?

    Cutting of tax allowances like flexible spending, and the amount you can claim for your kid. Both have already been cut in half and we still don't have paternity leave...
  • Resalyn
    Resalyn Posts: 528 Member
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    I used to babysit for a couple who split it - she took the first 3 months, and then he took the second 3 months off - that way their baby didn't have to go to daycare until 6 months old. I think if more men stayed at home with their child this way they would have a healthier respect for what we mothers actually do.....
  • Resalyn
    Resalyn Posts: 528 Member
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    People don't realize how completely screwed women in the US are when it comes to childbearing until they look worldwide, and see other countries that actually encourage parents to bond and take care of their children. Want to know where the decline of the family begins in the United States? Right after birth, when both parents have to go back to work and send their child to a daycare all day just to make ends meet.

    To answer the question, yes, they should get paternity leave, just like the mom gets maternity.

    THIS +one million. There are so many good things about our country........ and so many things that other countries do much better. This is one of those things!
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    STD insurance

    You have S.T.D insurance? Wouldn't that be covered by your regular health insurance? :laugh:

    Sorry...couldn't resist.....

    :laugh: I figured someone wouldn't... I can't help to look twice at it either and think something else... I'm just too lazy to spell it all out every time... :tongue:
  • cabaray
    cabaray Posts: 971 Member
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    The American government could probably afford maternity and paternity leave if we would cut other spending. I wonder how much a year the government spends on Social Security Disability for people with mysterious back problems (not that there aren't legitimate ones) or ex-cons who have PTSD from their time in prison (yes, it happens). How about the money spent on food stamps for people who sell them and buy drugs or for women who pop out 5 kids and refuse to work. How about this...a tax refund should never be for more than was paid in...that is not a refund, it is welfare! I could go on all day...
  • ampa916
    ampa916 Posts: 189 Member
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    The Army gave my husband 10 days after my son was born. It would have been great, but they called him a hundred times a day asking him questions he couldn't possibly know since he wasn't there lol. It was nice to have him home for that time, and he really helped out (cooked, cleaned, and helped take care of the baby)
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    The American government could probably afford maternity and paternity leave if we would cut other spending. I wonder how much a year the government spends on Social Security Disability for people with mysterious back problems (not that there aren't legitimate ones) or ex-cons who have PTSD from their time in prison (yes, it happens). How about the money spent on food stamps for people who sell them and buy drugs or for women who pop out 5 kids and refuse to work. How about this...a tax refund should never be for more than was paid in...that is not a refund, it is welfare! I could go on all day...

    Fixing loopholes or people who take advantage of the system is a very difficult task.
  • lour441
    lour441 Posts: 543 Member
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    Paternity leave is not needed.

    Child care is woman's work.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    The American government could probably afford maternity and paternity leave if we would cut other spending. I wonder how much a year the government spends on Social Security Disability for people with mysterious back problems (not that there aren't legitimate ones) or ex-cons who have PTSD from their time in prison (yes, it happens). How about the money spent on food stamps for people who sell them and buy drugs or for women who pop out 5 kids and refuse to work. How about this...a tax refund should never be for more than was paid in...that is not a refund, it is welfare! I could go on all day...

    Fixing loopholes or people who take advantage of the system is a very difficult task.

    Also, simply because loopholes exist does not outweigh the benefit of a workable system as a whole.

    In economic terms there will always be the problem of the "free rider" which maybe unpalatable on a moral or ethical level. However, to let that small minority dictate how the greater overall policy should operate is flawed in my view.

    As to the OP, the answer is yes, without question.

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