Do you support paternal leave ?
By bhanusb
@bhanusb (5709)
India
May 19, 2010 11:49am CST
In Bangladesh a woman's organization demanded paternal leave for the male employees. Their argument is when wives become advance stage of their pregnancy husbands should be at home. When wives are in labor pain they need the help of their husbands to be admitted to hospitals. After the birth of baby husbands help is essential to take care of the mothers and the babies. They demanded at least one month leave for their husbands. I think the demand of the women has good reason. Do you think so ? Do you support their demand ?
2 people like this
11 responses
@savypat (20216)
• United States
19 May 10
I have trouble with employees demanding leave at the employer's expense. When it's a small business it's even harder on the employer. Bad enough when the employer has to grant the mother leave. It's very hard to get train employees to cover that leave, who wants to be employed for only 2 or 3 month and then to have to find another job. The choice to have children is the employee's why should the employer have to bear the expense and inconvience?
1 person likes this
@angelajoy (1825)
• Philippines
20 May 10
But if that's the case, then what would happen to employees? Don't you think employers should give more to employees considering that employers almost always control the everyday life of employees? I think it's only fair to give men paternal leave. I'm an employee, so I understand how it feels like to have your daily activities controlled by someone else. I don't mind working because I know that I need to do it, but I also want to have a break every once in a while. I'm a human, not a machine, so I want to be treated humanely. I want my employer to understand my needs and not treat me as just a means to his or her ends.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
20 May 10
I sure do. The wife needs the support of her husband and often times she is too tired to do it all alone. One month leave is not unreasonable. There is also the depression that occurs after birth in some women. Sorry, but I do not know how to spell the exact term, but in some cases, unless there is someone at home to help, the woman might do something desperate and I will not say what it is.
So anything that can make a new mother's life easier is fine with me.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
27 May 10
We adopted and my husband was able to take some time off, but it was because of having enough sick days. What happens in Canada is that if you have enough sick days, even if you are not sick, you can take them off. The employers know that the employee may need a rest, or is pregnant, or has a wife who is pregnant, or whatever, but will give the employee the time off anyway.
I never got post partum depression but then I never got pregnant (that is and carried past the 1st or 2nd month that is), but I loved it when my husband was around. He went onto afternoon shifts so he could spend more time with the babies.
@kalav56 (11464)
• India
19 May 10
In our place, normally the pregnant girl goes to her parents' place to deliver her child. So, essentially the mother of the girl takes good care of her.Whether the husband is to take leave and stay at his inlaws' place is his decision. However thsi would vary from place to place because the pregnant girl would need some assistance at that point of time.
@bhanusb (5709)
• India
20 May 10
Once this practice was also in our country. But now usually girls don't go to their parents house during their pregnancy. They feel more comfort to live with their husbands in this stage .Women can share many things with their husbands which they can't do with their parents.
@kalav56 (11464)
• India
20 May 10
In our place an d housholds it is still different. THe girl is pampered more in her parents' place , by and large, and girls still do go to there parents' places. In cases where the daughters are staying abroad, the mothers of the daughters go abroad because the children need to be born there.If the mothers cannot go then the mother-in-law can aso go. But essentially some elderly experienced woman stays with the pregnant mother.
@med889 (5941)
•
20 May 10
I will demand paternal leave too and for one complete month to stay with me and the baby, to let the baby feel him equally as he is feeling me, to know how to take care of babies like I do, to be a responsible father from the very start.
@Gemini68nOhio (134)
• United States
20 May 10
Paternity/maternity leave shouldn't be paid at all, in my opinion. If you have vacation time, sick days and personal days, then i would say exhaust those days/or hours. However many days or weeks you need off should be granted, but as far as the employer footing the bill for a personal matter, like pregnancy or whatever else that's optional, is just down right stupid.
@Ciara5 (10)
• United States
20 May 10
Yes I do support paternal leave. A baby needs to bond with his daddy as much with his mother. Strong families make any society better, in my view. So why not support that? Some employers give a block of time each year to be used however it's needed, whether for vacation, time off for family illness or personal illness. That could also be used for paternal leave.
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
19 May 10
I really very much support paternal leave. I think it should be an option for anyone that wants it. Some couples need the financial support of the male working during that time, but for those that don't the family really could possibly use the man at home during that time.
I know that it would've been so much easier on some people in my family if their husbands had been home during the pregnancy. A couple women I know were on bed rest during the last portion of their pregnancy and had complications, so they were really supposed to take it easy after labor. Not having the husbands at home made it really difficult for them to be able to really take the time to heal like they needed to.
When I have our first, I really hope that my husband can be home for at least the first two weeks after the baby is born. It'll be really hard for me to take care of the baby myself and recover and I know that he would like to enjoy the first moments of our baby's life just as much as I will. :)
I also know several men that have been able to take paternity leave and they were really glad they did it! They really got the chance to bond with their new baby.
@vandana7 (100301)
• India
20 May 10
I am not ok with paternal leave! That is new generation phenomenon. :)
I dont think the woman who is in labor is any more aware of whose hands she is holding than a person who is getting her tooth uprooted. Pain is all that they can be aware of! So who stands or doesnt stand by you doesnt matter.
As to the person being there - nowadays we have a wonderful thing called mobile. I know they shouldnt be used in hospital premises. But it does give the woman many more moments with her husband than holding hands would. I think women react more to verbal communication so whatever they hear they can rerun as easily. :)
Why I am against paternal leave? It costs the organization. It makes things expensive! In the long run it leads to inflation. So out with frills!
@evepin (721)
• Philippines
20 May 10
yes i agree that male employees have paternal leave especially when the due date is near and when the wife gives birth. i've experienced giving with without my husband and i know how much it would be comforting to the wife with the husband around to help care for the baby.
@zralte (4178)
• India
19 May 10
I support it because I think they have a good ground of reasoning. It is all very well if the woman goes to her parents house and there is someone to take care of her. If the couple are on their own or live with the man's family, she definitely need someone to be by her side. Husband's family, however good they might be, are not really sufficient. You need someone to shout at or lend you a shoulder when you are overcome with emotion.
