Sociology

For this discussion, we are going to think about men. With the changing roles in families, should men be granted paternity leave from work? Why or why not? If you agree, how long should it last and why? If you do not agree, why do you think this is not good idea? Please research a company that grants paternity leave, discuss its policy, and share whether it has been effective.

ANSWER

Paternity Leave

Like women, men should be granted paternity leave from work for about 12-16 weeks. The leave is of great significance since it helps to lay the foundation for family stability and co-parenting. Both partners share child-raising responsibilities such as feeding the baby, changing diapers, washing the baby, and lastly, putting him to sleep. Having the dad around the child during his early stages is crucial since it helps establish a father-child bond that has a huge impact in the future (Petts et al., 2020). The bonding has a positive impact on the child’s cognitive development, academic success, and the relationship with their dad.

Most of the companies in the United States do not provide paid paternity leaves to their employees. Bank of America is among the few financial institutions that have adopted the paternity leave policy since 2016. The bank offers 16 weeks leave to both women and men upon welcoming a new child into their families by either adoption or birth. The policy is flexible since the parents are free to take the leave anytime that suits them as long as it is within the first year of the child’s arrival. Apart from the 16 weeks paid paternal leave, the newest dads in town get to enjoy a variety of benefits as stipulated in the policy. Some of these benefits include a monthly childcare reimbursement of about 240 dollars, adoption-related expenses of about 8000 dollars per child, and some subsidies in the case of emergency backup care (Petts et al., 2020). They are also granted resources to cater for counseling with issues such as parenting, financial planning, legal services, and school information. Bank of America is, therefore, one of the best places where new fathers can easily balance between work and family obligations.

References

Petts, R. J., Carlson, D. L., & Knoester, C. (2020). If I [Take] Leave, Will You Stay? Paternity Leave and Relationship Stability. Journal of Social Policy, 49(4), 829-849