The mother has always been solely responsible for caring for the newborn, and it has become natural and obvious to everyone, until it has become common and common for a working mother to take paid or unpaid maternity leave according to the law in each country, at a time when the father is completely exempted from that responsibility.
But over time, the mother gained some support, and in some countries there were laws giving new fathers paternity leave to care for his child and help his wife.
What is paternity leave?
Paternity leave is defined as a period of time, possibly up to several weeks or months, during which the new father is allowed to stay at home to connect with the new child.
Ways to organize paternity leave vary between countries, in some cases it is offered by the employer or granted by the state or government to new fathers.
Paternity leave may be paid or unpaid for the working father.
Some men may feel they don't need time off because they won't help take care of the baby (pixels)
Why is it necessary?
Some people think that paternity leave is a luxury and ineffective, but according to “Benefits.care” there are 3 main reasons why paternity leave is necessary:
family sharing
Sharing parenting responsibilities early on allows both spouses a better relationship and marital stability at this critical time.
On paternity leave, the spouses share the new task of caring for the child and facing the new change, and they work to reduce the burdens on each other, which leads to a sense of responsibility towards the other party, participation and strengthening the bonds between them, and thus the stability of the family that goes in one direction.
Creating a bond between father and child
Children enjoy a range of benefits when parents take an early and active role in their lives.
The activities that the father performs in the child’s life at that early period, whether playing with him, feeding him, cleaning him, talking to him, or singing to him, strengthen the bond between the father and the child, and make the little one healthier physically and emotionally as well.
Later in life, this bonding can have a positive effect on a child's cognitive development, academic success, and relationship with their parent.
The sooner parents are involved in caring for their children, the more positive they will have in the long run.
Supports gender equality in the workplace
Many believe that the responsibility of the child rests solely with the mother, so the working mother without the father is forced to take childcare leave.
While others believe that the responsibility of the newborn cannot be limited to one sex, nor to the mother only, as the leave that the mother obtains affects her career path in promotions and good opportunities, which contributes to widening the gender gap in the workplace.
In order to reach gender parity at work at some point, the only way is for men to play a more visible practical role in the home, such as childcare, according to proponents of that idea.
Some men experience stigma and discrimination when claiming paternity leave (pixels)
Stigmatization of paternity leave
Some men are stigmatized and discriminated against when claiming paternity leave, which makes them prefer to leave this responsibility to the mother, rather than claiming their right to care for their newborn.
According to Babycenter, there are a number of factors that contribute to the reluctance of some men to seek paternity leave, including:
Some men fear occupational discrimination, losing salary increases and promotions, or having their career paths affected.
Men fear marginalization or even ridicule, being accused of not committing to work.
Some may feel that they do not need time off because they will not help take care of the child as it is the mother's responsibility.
Some cannot afford paternity leave, especially if the child's mother can, in fact, take paid or unpaid maternity leave.
Paternity leave is defined as a period during which the father is allowed to stay at home to communicate with the new child (pixels).
Pioneering Experiences
Many countries do not allow paternity leave, and even maternity leave is unpaid in some countries.
The laws and measures to reconcile family and work prevailing in each country are a true reflection of its society and the prevailing pattern of thinking in it.
There is no doubt that the Finnish capital Helsinki, which excels in many areas, is the best city to start a family in the world, thanks to the paid maternity and paternity leave estimated at about 1190 days of paid leave, or an average of 170 weeks.
According to a previous report published by Al Jazeera Net, there are 10 cities that grant paid maternity and paternity leave, including: Helsinki in Finland (1,190 days), Tallinn in Estonia (1,176 days) and Tokyo in Japan (770 days).
As for the cities that give the least days of maternity and paternity leave, according to the study prepared by the company Movenhae and published by Al Jazeera Net, there is Taipei in Taiwan (61 days), and Mexico City in Mexico (only 91 days), while all US cities do not give any days paternity leave
Although most Arab countries are late in granting paternity leave to new fathers, there are some countries that have approved paid paternity leave in addition to paid maternity leave.
Paid maternity leave in most Arab countries ranges between 70 and 90 days.
In Egypt, in which the mother receives 90 days of paid leave to care for the child, according to the "Egyptian government portal", the Senate recently rejected a proposal that includes granting the father a 7-day leave to care for the newborn, as in many countries of the world, and it was satisfied with one day. .