Fatherhood is a gift, as spotlighted by the growing trend of more dads taking paternity leave. Sometimes called “family” or “bonding” leave, paternity leave is a parental leave policy that allows a father to care for a newborn baby, recently adopted child, or foster child. Parental leave is different from pregnancy-related medical leave, giving many dads and non-birthing parents the time with their new child. Offering equitable leave for both parents is crucial for workplace culture, employee wellbeing, and overall community support. But not all dads still have access, let’s take a look at how paternity leave drives social and cultural change.
One of the common misconceptions about “parental leave" is that it’s only for moms giving birth. But the reality is that men want and use this policy, despite the stigma of taking paternity leave. Since 2018, paid parental leave absences have increased 183% for men, and when available, working fathers are taking about 60 days of bonding leave. This is very clear when you look at state-mandated paid leave programs across the nation.
California is the proud owner of the very first Paid Family Leave (PFL) program in the country, going live in July 2004. An analysis of the usage showed that dads are driving program growth, accounting for 44% of all bonding claims. This was a 31% increase from the previous decade and NOT due to the pandemic. Pre-pandemic bonding claims were already over 20% increase since the program started.
On the other side of the country, New York’s program has also seen an impressive 58% increase in claims filed by men since the program launched in 2018. Men account for 30% of all bonding claims filed, 39% of bonding claims in 2022 alone, with an average of 6 weeks for newborn babies.
From the planning process to having paid parental leave, it’s a group effort to help normalize paternity leave for social and cultural change. Wall Street Journal found that fathers who take paternity leave typically have stronger bonds with their partner and children, improve maternal health outcomes, and improve household financial stability.
Here are a few areas paternity leave impacts:
Better Mental Health: Paternity leave is not instinctual for dads, and 25% of fathers experience varying degrees of depression after welcoming a child. The “baby blues” is not only a mom thing! Paternity leave helps dads brains adapt to parenting, with 86% of men reporting that taking leave had a positive impact on their relationship with their children. Plus, anti-anxiety medications dropped for new moms 26% when dads were given 30 days of leave.
Equitable Policies: One way to champion wellbeing is by offering equitable parental leave policies. Unfortunately, most leave policies are not equal for moms and dads. Most dads often get less time than their pregnant counterparts, so it’s no surprise that just 5% of working men take more than two weeks off after the birth of their youngest child.
Workplace Culture: Paternity leave also impacts the workplace with 60% of women and 53% of men feeling that workplace culture improves because their employer offers paid parental leave. While paternity leave has carried a stigma in many workplaces, offering this policy can lead to more supportive workplaces and increase retention.
Financial Stability: When dads have paternity leave, it contributes to financial stability for their families and community. Every month of paid paternity leave is tied to a 7% increase in moms earnings, helping to close that wage gap that so many mothers face.
It’s time to normalize paternity leave. “Caregiving” is no longer a female or mother-only responsibility, but a dual effort in the household. But change doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and everyone needs to step in to support paternity leave so that more families and communities can benefit. Parento is solving the paid parental leave crisis in the United States, helping companies offer up to 16 weeks at 100% of paid paternity leave until a national paid leave program is possible. Until then, thank you to all the dads that are helping to lead the charge. It takes one dad at a time to drive change!
