Paternity leave

Jewellzz · #1 July 11th, 2007, 09:05 AM

How long do you think paternity leave should be? How much time off did YOUR SO actually get when your baby was born?

I think it should be about 2 months or so, with full pay, possibly longer.

He got two weeks. I know other couples where the dad had to go back to work the very next day; ridiculous! Dads should be home helping, since not everyone has family in the area to help out postpartum.

julieet76 · #2 July 11th, 2007, 09:21 AM

Spouse get maternity leave?? Not in this state. Never heard of it. I wish. It would have been nice to have him around to help out.

Banned-luvnallmyboys · #3 July 11th, 2007, 09:45 AM

DH took two weeks each time, but thats because he knew the baby would be coming and saved up sick and vacation time. I don't think employers should provide paid paternity leave.

AnnD · #4 July 11th, 2007, 09:50 AM

My DH didn't get a paternity leave, he took a week of vacation time. He has since started a new job, maybe they will offer it! (Fat chance). Anyway, I think that companies should offer paid paternity leaves of at least two weeks and maybe three if their wife had a c-section. Of course, this is my ideological thinking of an equal society in which men are encouraged by their places of employment to stay invovled with their families, which will help them feel more competent at home which will ultimately make them better dads! But......alas, we don't live in that society.

Deanna in CA · #5 July 11th, 2007, 09:54 AM

Some states already do. In California we have Paid Family leave for 6 weeks to bond with a baby (both mom and dad can get this) after a 7 day waiting period. It pays up to $882 per week.

http://www.paidfamilyleave.org/

AnnD · #6 July 11th, 2007, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Some states already do. In California we have Paid Family leave for 6 weeks to bond with a baby (both mom and dad can get this) after a 7 day waiting period. It pays up to $882 per week.

http://www.paidfamilyleave.org/[/b]

6 weeks is excellent! I thought I was being safe asking for 2-3!

littleln · #7 July 11th, 2007, 10:22 AM

Wear I work, and I work for a huge company with a big diversity initiative, men get exactly 1 day off. They get the day the baby is born. Thats it. Where my husband works, he will have a hard time getting out of work when I'm in labor and potentially having the baby :/

Nykoal · #8 July 11th, 2007, 10:29 AM

In Canada paternity leave (for fathers or adoptive parent's) is 37 weeks (mother's are entitled to 17 weeks of maternity leave and 35 weeks of parental for a total of 52 weeks). You are entitled to receive 55% of you wage (up to a max. of $423 per week). Some employers offer paternity benefits and they can top up the paternity benefit to the full amount of the employees wage, but it's not always common. So it's not paid leave persay in the fact that it falls under our Unemployment Insurance that we all pay into. In Ontario both the father and the mother can take parental leave at the same time or they can take it consecutively (i.e. mother is home for 52 weeks and then father is home for 37 more weeks so somebody would be home with the child for a total of 89 weeks). It's a great idea, but many father's don't paternity leave because it's capped (i.e. $423/week).

My DH won't be taking it because he takes home WAY more than $423/week and if he took the leave it would put us in a financial crunch. His company doesn't offer paternity leave as a benefit either so it's better for us financially for him to continue to work. He'll be taking off a week though when the baby arrives through vacation pay (all employees in Canada are entitled to a minimum of 2 weeks of paid vacation time), and his company allows him to be flexible, so he'll go into work for a few hours or be on call during the 2nd week. He's also been working lots of overtime and banking the extra hours.

Momo · #9 July 11th, 2007, 10:41 AM

My dh got a month of fully paid paternity leave and it was great! The first week of it we spent in the nicu so it was nice for him to have some time with the baby in a regular setting. I love my dh's company, they are very pro-family!

sillybean · #10 July 11th, 2007, 10:48 AM

My dh didn't get any paternity leave....he could have taken unpaid FMLA (family medical leave act) if he wanted but we couldn't afford to not have pay. He had to use his vacation time. I think men should get at least 2 weeks, and agree it should be more if there is a c section. Maybe 2 more would be good. It would have been nice to have one less worry at that time instead of worrying that his job would not approve his vacation time at the last minute like that.

#11 July 11th, 2007, 11:46 AM

My dh's old job had paternity leave (can't remember how long it was for), but I don't think it was paid. Anyway, he got fired when they found out he wanted to go to school to pursue a different career. He was on unemployment from the time I was 8mths pregnant until Kailey was.....4 months old I think. It was lovely having him there. I can't imagine doing everything on my own, especially for ppl who don't live around family or don't have friends outside the home (waves hand). I think about the future when we plan on having number two...I think to myself "how am I going to take care of Kailey AND a newborn at the same time?!?!".... Fathers should DEF. get paternity leave.

How long? I'm not sure...2 months sound good, but a year would be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WISH that our world (not just the American culture) would place more importance on a child's first year of life. I wish that we would place more importance on a mother and father being with their infant during the most important time for them. Wow...a year sounds AWESOME! I wish....I really do.... (stops living in lala land)....lol