Should Men Receive Paternity Leave with Pay?

Women give birth nearly every day around the world, yet some fathers are hardly present to lend them support. Some fathers may not be desirous of the opportunity while others can’t find time to be there long enough. Also, some fathers can’t afford to sacrifice their pay check, which their families need to maintain the new addition. Paternity leave is time off from work granted to male employees, in the private and public sectors, to be with their spouses and newborns. Most employers rarely pay male employees paternity leave to spend time with their spouses when they deliver a child, suffer a miscarriage, or adopt a child. Men wishing to take paternity leave to assist their spouse under these conditions usually do so through paid leave such as sick days or vacation time. In recent times, a growing number of men in the United States have taken unpaid family leave from their jobs to spend time with their newborns (Babycenter.Com). I believe paternity leave with pay should become a national law, because it will allow men paid time off from work, to assist and support their spouses during their recovery after delivering a child; and to spend time with their newborns.

According to Anthony Bradley’s commentary on Paternity leave makes real men, he says “What kind of confident man would want to be a ‘stay-at-home’ dad while the rest of the men are out doing stuff like working. Most men have no interest in not having a full time job, and why should they?”(Worldmag.Com) He goes on to say that America would be a radically different country if it was necessary for a father to bond with his children. Bonding he says, takes more than six weeks, “It’s a pursuit of love for life, not simply physical presence”.

There has always been a stereotype...

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...the opportunity to view prospective new employees without being tied to long term contracts. Temporary employees are usually paid minimal and might not put a financial strain on the employers if only a small fraction of the salary of the worker who is on paternity leave is paid. There may be other ways of funding paternity leave, but this way has proven to be successful in some countries and perhaps if it is considered, funding through Social Security or the Family and Medical Leave Act would drive more men to consider spending time with their new family while being paid.

Works Cited

Paternity Leave What are the Options for Dads. BabyCenter.Com, June 2003. Web. 27 Nov. 2009

Bradley, Anthony. Paternity Leave Makes Real Men. Worldmag.Com, 10 Sept. 2008. Web. 27 Nov. 2009.

Parker, Wayne. Bonding With the New Baby. Fatherhood.About.Com, 2008. Web. 27 Nov. 2009