Should men get paternity leave?

Jackobyte · 14-06-2012 04:05AM #1

Lads, hear me out.. it's not our fault we were born males and can't carry a child.
The least benefits we should get is a few weeks off to be with babies when they are born and get paid for it. Like, am I the only one who finds it unfair that just becoz women donated an egg and minded a child in their stomach for a few months gives them the excuse to leave the kitchen and have a few weeks off while we still have to work and fend for our family.

Why can't men have this right too of a few weeks off work? Shur we helped get the women pregnant... we donated our sperm??? We're as tired as they are and need the few weeks off. You don't know how tiring it gets listening to women moaning about "going into labour". More tiring than labour itself, I'd say.

I demand paternity leave for all males who donate sperm to baby making.

Where To · 14-06-2012 04:09AM

Who would make the sandwiches?

policarp · 14-06-2012 04:13AM

If your missus could see this post you deffo would need a few weeks baternity leave. . .

Cookie_Monster · 14-06-2012 04:18AM

It should be called parental leave and be split between either partner as they so choose up to the given allowance. (Like in Sweden, I think it is)

southcentralts · 14-06-2012 05:08AM

So they didn't give you time off for the euros eh. Bet your wife is glad you are not at home everyday drinking beer and shouting at the telly with her looking after the newborn.

Overflow · 14-06-2012 08:06AM

Jackobyte wrote: »

Lads, hear me out.. it's not our fault we were born males and can't carry a child.
The least benefits we should get is a few weeks off to be with babies when they are born and get paid for it. Like, am I the only one who finds it unfair that just becoz women donated an egg and minded a child in their stomach for a few months gives them the excuse to leave the kitchen and have a few weeks off while we still have to work and fend for our family.

Why can't men have this right too of a few weeks off work? Shur we helped get the women pregnant... we donated our sperm??? We're as tired as they are and need the few weeks off. You don't know how tiring it gets listening to women moaning about "going into labour". More tiring than labour itself, I'd say.

I demand paternity leave for all males who donate sperm to baby making.

We do, 10 months paid leave, it was great, but that's here in Norway :P

krudler · 14-06-2012 08:13AM

Definitely, I dont see why men should miss so much of a childs early development by being at work all week.

biko · 14-06-2012 08:13AM

In Sweden, the only country in the forefront of equality and childcare:

Parents are entitled to 480 days of paid leave per child, with 60 days being reserved for each parent. This is mainly to encourage equality and shared responsibility. Fathers are also entitled to 10 extra paid days of leave when the child is born.

Shenshen · 14-06-2012 09:08AM

Jackobyte wrote: »

Lads, hear me out.. it's not our fault we were born males and can't carry a child.
The least benefits we should get is a few weeks off to be with babies when they are born and get paid for it. Like, am I the only one who finds it unfair that just becoz women donated an egg and minded a child in their stomach for a few months gives them the excuse to leave the kitchen and have a few weeks off while we still have to work and fend for our family.

Why can't men have this right too of a few weeks off work? Shur we helped get the women pregnant... we donated our sperm??? We're as tired as they are and need the few weeks off. You don't know how tiring it gets listening to women moaning about "going into labour". More tiring than labour itself, I'd say.

I demand paternity leave for all males who donate sperm to baby making.

I think men ought to be able to get paternity leave to be able to stay home and look after the child.
I'm finding it outrageous that this isn't legally guaranteed in Ireland, it's highly discriminatory.

chin_grin · 14-06-2012 09:10AM

Jackobyte wrote: »

....minded a child in their stomach for a few months....

I'd take you a little more seriously if you understood basic biology.

Radharc na Sleibhte · 14-06-2012 09:12AM

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

It should be called parental leave and be split between either partner as they so choose up to the given allowance. (Like in Sweden, I think it is)

biko wrote: »

In Sweden, the only country in the forefront of equality and childcare:

Parents are entitled to 480 days of paid leave per child, with 60 days being reserved for each parent. This is mainly to encourage equality and shared responsibility. Fathers are also entitled to 10 extra paid days of leave when the child is born.

+1
Im going to Sweden to make babies.

Feeona · 14-06-2012 09:14AM

Jackobyte wrote: »

You don't know how tiring it gets listening to women moaning about "going into labour".

Best 'Look at how many women I impregnated' boast thread eva!

2rkehij30qtza5 · 14-06-2012 09:17AM

I was under the impression that men can take paternity leave in this country..but both parents can't together. Sí the woman gets 26 weeks but if she chooses to return to work after say 6 weeks then the man can take the 20 weeks she didn't use? I know people who have done this!

Shenshen · 14-06-2012 09:23AM

Arlo Powerful Butter wrote: »

I was under the impression that men can take paternity leave in this country..but both parents can't together. Sí the woman gets 26 weeks but if she chooses to return to work after say 6 weeks then the man can take the 20 weeks she didn't use? I know people who have done this!

I think it's not impossible, but it is at the employer's discretion.
There is no legal framework guaranteeing that men can take parental leave, and I know that some employers will refuse men to take any kind of additional leave.

Lux23 · 14-06-2012 09:26AM

Yes, of course. I think they got like two weeks in my last job which I thought was useless, a month or two would be about right. After all, Dad's are kept awake as much as Mums.

Zulu · 14-06-2012 09:29AM

It's better for society as a whole if fathers are included in child care. It really irks me that the law still see's only women as care providers.

jester77 · 14-06-2012 09:31AM

They do here, not sure of the exact amount but the dads here take a few months off. It doesn't have to be directly after the birth either. You can split it, most take a few weeks after the birth and then a couple of months once the baby is a little older.

seamus · 14-06-2012 09:34AM

Arlo Powerful Butter wrote: »

I was under the impression that men can take paternity leave in this country..but both parents can't together. Sí the woman gets 26 weeks but if she chooses to return to work after say 6 weeks then the man can take the 20 weeks she didn't use? I know people who have done this!

No, this is not possible under the normal rules. The woman is entitled to 26 weeks paid maternity benefit from the state. If she returns to work early, the balance is lost and can't be claimed at a later date or transferred to a partner.

Some employers might work favourable arrangements and give paid paternity leave for men, but the state doesn't pay anything. Most employers in this country still operate on the same backwards basis as the state and provide no benefits or concessions to new fathers. In most cases they might overlook the day or two off when the mother is in labour and the child is born but otherwise almost universally new fathers have to take days from their annual leave if they want to take up their correct place minding the child and mother during the first couple of weeks after birth.

I don't necessarily condemn employers on this, as they can't claim back anything for allowing paternity leave, however employers' general inflexibility on it is indicative of how ingrained these backwards attitudes are across all institutions of the state.

There is provision for parental leave which allows either parent to take a certain amount of leave for each child under five. However, this is unpaid so most people cannot afford to avail of it.

In reality maternity leave should be much like the UK system with 10 months paid at the pre-birth salary. It should be possible to split it half-and-half between the parents (or 70:30 or whatever), and it should be possible to spread it out over the first year rather than as one big block of leave, to give both parents a chance to wean themselves back into work.

Unavailable for Comment · 14-06-2012 10:04AM

No matter how unfair you might feel it is that only the woman is entitled to 26 weeks maternity benefit, what is really unfair is that if a woman and a man adopt a child only the woman is entitled to the 24 weeks adoptive leave.

stovelid · 14-06-2012 10:13AM

Yes we should but to, you know, to help with looking after the baby and all that.

Parents are entitled to 14 weeks parental leave for each child but it's unpaid.

henryd65 · 14-06-2012 10:13AM

Unavailable for Comment wrote: »

No matter how unfair you might feel it is that only the woman is entitled to 26 weeks maternity benefit, what is really unfair is that if a woman and a man adopt a child only the woman is entitled to the 24 weeks adoptive leave.

+1
I can never understand how this blatant discrimination is allowed to stand.

My own theory is adoptive parents are so relieved when adoption finally occurs, that the last thing they want to do is create an issue re leave.

14-06-2012 11:12AM

It should be mandatory IMO.
Help take the pressure off the mother.

Bad Panda · 14-06-2012 11:20AM

Unavailable for Comment wrote: »

No matter how unfair you might feel it is that only the woman is entitled to 26 weeks maternity benefit, what is really unfair is that if a woman and a man adopt a child only the woman is entitled to the 24 weeks adoptive leave.

I'm shocked a feminist group hasn't wailed about this yet. I mean, after all, all they want is equality. :rolleyes:

Feeona · 14-06-2012 11:26AM

Bad Panda wrote: »

I'm shocked a feminist group hasn't wailed about this yet. I mean, after all, all they want is equality. :rolleyes:

I'm shocked men expect women to do their dirty work :eek:

seamus · 14-06-2012 11:40AM

Bad Panda wrote: »

I'm shocked a feminist group hasn't wailed about this yet. I mean, after all, all they want is equality. :rolleyes:

Feminism is only about equal rights for women.
They are not concerned about areas where women have greater rights than men.

Zulu · 14-06-2012 11:49AM

seamus wrote: »

Feminism is only about equal rights for women.
They are not concerned about areas where women have greater rights than men.

...and too short sighted to realise that an imbalance in childcare rights for fathers is part of what maintains the final few obstacles for women in the workplace.

Morag · 14-06-2012 11:49AM

Bad Panda wrote: »

I'm shocked a feminist group hasn't wailed about this yet. I mean, after all, all they want is equality. :rolleyes:

There have been statements by feminist groups about this and calling for paternity leave.
There have been small father's groups calling for it as well
but until a majority of men lobby for it, it's not going to happen.
Only 1 political party has policy on paternity leave and that is Sinn Fein.

CageWager · 14-06-2012 11:58AM

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

It should be called parental leave and be split between either partner as they so choose

Good luck winning that negotiation with a pregnant woman..

Zulu · 14-06-2012 12:04PM

works in sweden

SunnyDub1 · 14-06-2012 12:07PM

Do you know how painful it is and how long it takes to recover after pushing a baby of 5-9 pounds out of you ?

hardCopy · 14-06-2012 12:09PM

Zulu wrote: »

...and too short sighted to realise that an imbalance in childcare rights for fathers is part of what maintains the final few obstacles for women in the workplace.

Exactly, a lot of employers are reluctant to employ women of a certain age because it usually means massive disruption for the business.

If leave was spread among the two it may negate this issue as men would be just as likely to take time off.

Should men get paternity leave?

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