Should men get paternity leave from work?

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  • iuangina
    iuangina Posts: 691 Member
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    You can't be serious that men only get paternity leave to take care of the mother. That's just silly.
    Paternity leave is not needed.

    Child care is woman's work.

    I have no idea if you are being serious or not, but that is a stupid thing to say. Men don't get paternity leave to look after the baby. They get it to look after the mother who will for the first few days (or weeks in a surgical birth) not be able to do anything. I was in hospital for 5 days when our son was born, and that was after 2 days of labour. So that was a week my husband need off for a start. Then I wasn't allowed to lift anything for another 2 weeks, including the baby I had just given birth to. I had metal staples in my abdomen literally holding my insides in, and couldn't walk more than 10m without heavy bleeding and being at risk of fainting.

    Men should have a MINIMUM of 2 weeks off to make sure the mother of their child is well enough to start doing it on her own.
  • lour441
    lour441 Posts: 543 Member
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    Paternity leave is not needed.

    Child care is woman's work.

    :squint:

    Can't tell if joking.

    I have determined there is not enough drama in this thread so I posted something moronic to get the ball rolling. Carry on.
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
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    I think a week or two is usually sufficient. On an "as needed" basis, more time should be allowed if the mother has been seriously injured by the birth and is unable to care for herself and the baby. Men are morally obligated to support their families, and that means going to work!
  • QueenJayJay
    QueenJayJay Posts: 1,139
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    Paternity leave is not needed.

    Child care is woman's work.

    :squint:

    Can't tell if joking.

    I have determined there is not enough drama in this thread so I posted something moronic to get the ball rolling. Carry on.

    :drinker:
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    Paternity leave is not needed.

    Child care is woman's work.

    :squint:

    Can't tell if joking.

    Good, very glad you aren't a moron.
    I have determined there is not enough drama in this thread so I posted something moronic to get the ball rolling. Carry on.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    You can't be serious that men only get paternity leave to take care of the mother. That's just silly.
    Paternity leave is not needed.

    Child care is woman's work.

    I have no idea if you are being serious or not, but that is a stupid thing to say. Men don't get paternity leave to look after the baby. They get it to look after the mother who will for the first few days (or weeks in a surgical birth) not be able to do anything. I was in hospital for 5 days when our son was born, and that was after 2 days of labour. So that was a week my husband need off for a start. Then I wasn't allowed to lift anything for another 2 weeks, including the baby I had just given birth to. I had metal staples in my abdomen literally holding my insides in, and couldn't walk more than 10m without heavy bleeding and being at risk of fainting.

    Men should have a MINIMUM of 2 weeks off to make sure the mother of their child is well enough to start doing it on her own.

    Well, actually, yes, that was the original reason for paternity leave. As I said in my first post, I think parental leave should be transferable between parents, and I think fathers should get more than they do.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    No employer is required to offer paid maternity leave. They are only required hold your job for 12 weeks of FMLA. Any extra leave is something they do by choice.

    That being said, I think that all father's deserve the same thing that mothers get. There is a big adjustment that goes into bringing home a new child. It's not just about healing your body from giving birth.
    In the US, men are eligible for Family Medical Leave (unpaid, unless they choose to use paid time off, which is not required by employers to offer/allow), the same as women. Part of that Act is not just to physically heal yourself, but also to take care of family members, or bond with a new baby. This is goes for either a direct-born child or an adopted child. Not to mention, (most) new dad are also adjusting physically to a new schedule and new demand in the household, which can affect ther ability to perform on the job. I think it is a good thing for both mom and dad to take the time to get used to the new baby and get into the new routine.

    Sorry... my HR hat slipped on there for a minute...

    But if women get PAID maternity leave, do you think men should get PAID paternity leave? That's what I'm asking, I guess.

    FMLA isn't paid.

    I think there are two components to "paid" leave that need to be addressed:

    1) Recovery
    2) Time to adjust with newborn

    If a company offers paid maternity leave, then they should offer some paid paternity leave for #2 as well.
  • dianefisher47
    dianefisher47 Posts: 234 Member
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    It already exists in Canada
  • iuangina
    iuangina Posts: 691 Member
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    I actually thought that paternity leave was originally intended to help with the care of the child and the mother's recovery (if necessary). Maybe I'm mistaken. If that's not the case, why would we also grant the same kind of leave in adoption situations?

    I also thought it had to do with some kind of gender equity thing. Plus, who is supposed to take care of the newborn in a situation where two gay men use a surrogate if there is no paternity leave?

    You can't be serious that men only get paternity leave to take care of the mother. That's just silly.
    Paternity leave is not needed.

    Child care is woman's work.

    I have no idea if you are being serious or not, but that is a stupid thing to say. Men don't get paternity leave to look after the baby. They get it to look after the mother who will for the first few days (or weeks in a surgical birth) not be able to do anything. I was in hospital for 5 days when our son was born, and that was after 2 days of labour. So that was a week my husband need off for a start. Then I wasn't allowed to lift anything for another 2 weeks, including the baby I had just given birth to. I had metal staples in my abdomen literally holding my insides in, and couldn't walk more than 10m without heavy bleeding and being at risk of fainting.

    Men should have a MINIMUM of 2 weeks off to make sure the mother of their child is well enough to start doing it on her own.

    Well, actually, yes, that was the original reason for paternity leave. As I said in my first post, I think parental leave should be transferable between parents, and I think fathers should get more than they do.
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
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    I think a few days should be sufficient.. I mean they didn't blast the thing out of their crotch but they were involved in the baby making.

    i have no opinion on this issue, but this is hilarious- "blast out of their crotch."
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
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    Yes, maybe not nearly as much as women do but at least 1-2 weeks.
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
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    Only if they are to sign a contract which states that they will really help with the taking care of the baby and house during the time off. Write a duty log which the wife signs off each day.... LOL...
  • maysflower
    maysflower Posts: 180
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    I live in Canada and the paternity leave can be taken by just the woman or just the man or it can be split between them. My husband and I split the leave, so he was home with me and our daughter for 2 months.

    So yes, men should be allowed paternity leave.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    I don’t see why they would want it. You don’t get paid your full wage when you are out on maternity leave. I think its 65%, so if both parents take leave that is a 70% decrease in wages for the time they are out.
    I guess if you can afford to do it then it’s a good idea, but I don’t think most people can.
  • CAKEDOC
    CAKEDOC Posts: 110 Member
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    I took off 8 weeks and got paid the entire time on my first child and expect to take off 6 weeks this time with our child in August. It gave me time to bond with my daughter as well as gave my wife time to rest since she had a c-section, as she will again. It is very important.
  • callmeBAM
    callmeBAM Posts: 450 Member
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    A lot of witchy women on this thread. You can tell which posters like to have the power in the relationship instead of seeking a balance of mutual respect and sharing responsibility.
  • elwinberry
    elwinberry Posts: 25
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    Absolutely, Momma takes care of baby. Daddy takes care of Momma. Or in some cases Daddy takes care of baby while Momma sleep.
  • OLFATUG
    OLFATUG Posts: 393 Member
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    When my first daughter was born my wife got her maternity leave, and I got two weeks paternity leave. It definitely eased the burden, as she had some complications and was able to get more bed rest with me available 24/7 for those weeks. I did not get the same option when my second daughter was born as I had moved to a different (and significantly smaller) company. I took one of my two weeks vacation to be home with them. Even though there were no complications this time my presence was definitely appreciated, as it gave my wife more time to rest.

    If at all possible, I think the company should offer at least one week of paternity leave. If not, I highly recommend taking at least a week's vacation to be there for your wife.
  • YummyTpn
    YummyTpn Posts: 339 Member
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    They already have that option here in Canaduh. Mat leave is 52 weeks paid (capped percentage of your prior income and your job must be held for you while you're gone. Men can take paternity leave but however many weeks they take is deducted from the mother's 52 weeks.

    That's because yer a pack damn dirty commies!
    This is such an ignorant view of Canada. We are FAR from being commies, we just take better care of our people! We happen to value life, health, family, and education, and we all pay to have these supports. Jealous? You should be, because we have all this AND FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY!!!

    Hmmm, ask the business owners who have to pay for all this federal overreach how much freedom they have when they are required by law to give employees 52 weeks off AND hold their jobs because they chose to have a baby.

    I think a modest amount of paternity leave is a reasonable benefit for a company that seeks to attract and retain quality employees. I am not at all in favor of the government requiring it. That should be solely the decision of the person(s) who put everything on the line to build the business.
    Sounds like you're happy with the American system.
    And btw, the employer doesn't pay, the government does...through taxes.
    A good company is ones that supports families...which means they care about the future of their country. It takes a village to raise a child, not a daycare from 3 months to age 12 or whatever age kids can be home alone.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    A lot of witchy women on this thread. You can tell which posters like to have the power in the relationship instead of seeking a balance of mutual respect and sharing responsibility.

    As soon as your wife gives birth, you lose all rights in the relationship. Nothing you do, not even 3 tours in Iraq can compare to giving birth.

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