As [ Aude ] said it, it’s time to search solutions and strategies for addressing the common roadblocks to implementing usage of paternity leave.
I will try to mark 4 important points. In the first, the link between pregnancy discrimination and paternity leave then I will study the issues within the family to finish focusing on the attitude of the workers and the employers.
How more paternity leave will spell less discrimination against women
Let us begin with study how more paternity leave will spell less discrimination against women. The issue is at heart incredibly simple: it's about money. Women from are viewed with suspicion and seen as a liability. They are a fecund cost waiting to happen. So why, these companies think, should we take the risk on this well-qualified woman, when we can place a safe bet on this man. He might not be as effective at the job, but at least he'll be around in six months' time. And so the cycle continues, with brilliant women floundering in their careers, overtaken by men not as a result of merit, but as a result of a shrewd cost decision.
Until men are seen as equally likely to take time off because of the child that they have brought into the world, this kind of covert discrimination will continue – and it will continue to affect women.
Women pay a penalty in the workplace as a result of spending time away from the labour market to have and care for children (DOC). A parental leave system that offers families flexibility and choice around how to share their leave and caring responsibilities will permit to overcome the problem of “motherhood penalty” or pregnancy discrimination.
Shared care
Besides, increasingly, couples are finding ways to balance the responsibilities of parenting and work so that both parents can remain actively engaged in their children's lives and their careers. It can no longer be assumed that a working father has a stay-at-home spouse to take care of his children. Businesses must expand their definition of family to better reflect the rich and diverse
portrait of households today.
Even if there’s still the assumption that father is a useful helper, but his real role is to be the breadwinner. The role that fathers play in families has undergone a dramatic shift in recent years. More and more men are looking for ways to share in the care of their children.
Attitude shift among workers : men want more paternity leave
For today’s father, it is not enough to serve as the coach of his daughter’s soccer team or to see his son perform in a school play. Fathers want to be involved in their children’s lives from the outset. Young fathers expect to take an active role in their family life and make employment decisions based upon this expectation.
Focus on the employers
Employers are increasingly recognizing that the desire and responsibility to take time off to care for a newborn or newly adopted child is no longer simply that of the mother.
What is quite certain is that the society needs more best practices from leading employers who recognize that by offering equitable parental leave policies they increase employee loyalty and commitment.
There are so many business reasons for offering paternity leave are:
• Maintaining competitive practices
• Recruiting and retaining talent
• Equity and fairness
• Becoming an Employer of Choice.
There is clear evidence that paternity and parental leave policies improve employee loyalty, retention and job satisfaction. As a result, they have become an important component of the benefit plans offered by many companies “father friendly”.
Conversely, when employees’ personal and family needs are not supported, they experience counterproductive stress associated with work/family conflict.
Conclusion + Transition
Paternity and parental leave policies offer a number of advantages to both employers and their employees. First and foremost, they provide new fathers with valuable time to bond with their child.
Employees feel that their employers are more open to and supportive of their personal and family needs, and as a result are more satisfied with their jobs and loyal to their organizations.
There are benefits for women, families and the economy by enabling better rights for fathers in terms of parental leave. Paternity leaves make the most sense for everyone.
