Bringing a new baby into the world is one life changing experience. The lives of both the mother and the father are changed tremendously as they begin to learn to raise a child by trial and error. Maternity leave for mothers of newborns is never disagreeable; when it comes to paternity leave, however, it becomes one of the most controversial topics of the workforce. Reasons for maternity leaves and paternity leaves are both justifiable. Men should have the opportunity to take paternity leave from their jobs so that they can be a helping hand to the mother, have a chance to bond with their newborn child, and help bridge the gap in gender equality in the workplace without the stigma and criticism. After the birth of the child, women can become emotionally and physically fatigued, so men take an important role as care giver and supporter, especially in the first few weeks. If a father has an opportunity to stay home for the first couple of weeks, to care for both the mother and his new child, it will make a big impact for the family. Men have the same rights and obligations, as a child’s birth mother, to spend quality time, bond with, and care for a new baby. With some families living isolated from close relatives, it may be difficult for the mother’s family to support her after the birth of the child. “A study released in January found that fathers who took two or more weeks of leave upon their child's birth are more likely to be involved in the direct care of their children beyond leave” (Gringleburg). The time proceeding childbirth is the most stressful and tedious time. Parents have to adjust to the new baby and his or her schedule, especially the mother. With the both parents home, a lot of the stress is taken off the mother be... ... middle of paper ... ...y and should be able to be there to play that role. Works Cited Abel, Katy. "Dads and Paternity Leave." Family Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. Fraxedas, Ashley. "5 Reasons Dads Should Take Paternity Leave." Parenting. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. Grinberg, Emanuella, and Emily Smith. "Paid Leave Lets Dads Build Parenting Foundation." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. Kelly, Jon. "The Politics of Paternity Leave." BBC News. BBC, 26 Aug. 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. Livingston, Gretchen. "The Link between Parental Leave and the Gender Pay Gap." Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. Lobello, Carmel. "Why More Men Need to Take Paternity Leave." The Week. N.p., 06 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. . McGregor, Jena. "Paternity Leave Isn’t Just about Dads." Washington Post. N.p., 14 June 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
They do not live together, and Jane finds herself having to take care of the baby by herself, while her boyfriend is working and unable to help out most of the time (Urman, 2015). The larger the gap is in terms of childcare responsibilities; the more problems couples tend to have (Berk, 2014). This is especially true for Jane and her boyfriend, leading to them breaking up rather quickly as a result, as well as differences in parenting and her attention being solely on their son rather than their relationship as a couple. It is abnormal for parents to separate following a childbirth, but the two work out their differences quickly and decide to have shared custody of their child even though they decide to no longer be together. (Urman,
In David Blankenhorn’s book written in 1995, he brings to light what he calls “America’s fundamental problem”: our culture of fatherlessness. Our modern day view of fathers is that they are unnecessary both in society and in the upbringing of a child. Blankenhorn argues the contrary: the only way to solve the multitude of social problems present in America is to address the common denominator, the decline of fathers and the shrinking importance of fatherhood. Blankenhorn’s book is split into three parts: Part I: Fatherlessness, Part II: The Cultural Script and Part III: Fatherhood. In Fatherlessness, he provides the history of fatherhood and includes statistics that help to illustrate the transition of the father from head of the household to being “almost entirely a Sunday institution” (pg. 15).
“What is the Purpose of the Family and Medical Leave Act?” LawInfo. n.d. Web. 26 Jul 2011.
Ray et al. Parental Leave Policies in 2 Countries – Assessing Generosity and Gender Equality. Center for Economic and Policy Research.
...ncine D., and Lawrence M. Kahn. "The Gender Pay Gap: Have Women Gone as Far as
Overall the Family and Medical Leave Act has raised many issues on whether leave should be encourage and/or paid for by the employers. As of today, no haven policy has been enacted to tackle the challenges surrounding this issue, but positive steps have been taken and one day there will be no question that hard working employees will get the rights they
This policy allows working couples to choose how they balance their work and parenting commitment to their new baby. The first two weeks are reserved for the mother but the remaining fifty weeks can be shared between both parents (Glegg, Swinson, 2013).This will definitely give chance to fathers to bond with their infants on an equal footing with the mother. Sarkadi, et al (2007) also suggests that policies should be made that fathers of young children may choose to do part time jobs so they can have time with their
Susan M (2007) Surrogate Motherhood and The Politics of Reproduction, University of California Press Ltd, pp.4
If you and your significant other had a child, would you want to be there to not only support your partner, but to see your child’s first milestones in real life? Of course you would! The problem is most parents miss crucial parts of their child’s life because of the lack of paid maternity and paternity leave in the United States. New families, across the nation, should be allowed a minimum six months of paid maternity leave.
Toby is an employee of Sunshine & Daisies Inc. He works as an accountant for S&D’s management department. Toby’s wife, Rebecca, has a due date for their first child in a week. To help take care of the newborn while Rebecca recuperates, Toby requested paid-time off. However, his manager denied the request, scheduling Toby to work the following week. Sadly, many corporations do not think about offering paternity leave to father’s of newborns.
Miller, Amanda J. "Cohabiting Men's Preferences For And Roles In Determining The Outcomes Of Unexpected Pregnancies." Sociological Forum 27.3 (2012): 708-731. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
With no pay and the risk of losing their jobs--if additional time is requested--parents return to work in as little as two weeks after the birth of a child. This results in the absence of one or both parents during the most crucial part of a child’s life—the first year of life. Ultimately, it is the children who will suffer. The events that take place in the early years of a child life, as well as the people that surround, will influence who they become. Children need love and guidance from their parents. Babies can learn so much, parents have the time to teach them and watch them grow. It is their duty as well as their rights as parents to enjoy the first moments of life with their children. Susan J. Douglas says, “The first five years of life are so crucial to cognitive and emotional development” (Douglas Par 8). Parents often send their babies to daycare at too young of an age because they are expected to return to work and have no other choice. Others quit their job because they do not want their babies to go to daycare. This creates a financial strain on families and has lasting effects on the newborn and other young children in the home. Sharon Lerner says, “Paid parental leave frees mothers and fathers from choosing between their careers and time with their infants” (Lerner 20). Paid family leave alleviates a great deal of stress for parents who are expecting. It makes starting a family less frightening because families have enough money and time to adjust with their new lives before returning to work. This makes workers less likely to call out of upon returning and more likely to be focused on the
Recently women’s rights and women’s equality in the workplace has come back to the fore as a topic for discussion in government agencies and the United Nations. Whilst this is a very important topic, when it comes to time off from work when a new child is born, women in the US have some provision, whereas men have none.
Although the expectant father’s role is not as clear and defined as the expectant mother’s, fathers still play a large part in all aspects of the pregnancy and birth. In earlier times, the father’s role was limited and overlooked, but this has changed drastically. Today, they are encouraged, and often expected to attend all doctor’s visits, take birthing classes, and even serve as a labor coaches during delivery.
The wage gap between men and women is widely recognized, however there also exists a gap between mothers and women without children. While full-time working women without children earn 7 percent less than their male colleagues, mothers earn 23 percent less (Nelson 20). Even after controlling factors such as education, work commitment, and timing of return to the workforce after giving birth, working mothers earn 3% to 5% less than women without children (Miner et al. 60).