When men take parental leave, the economy benefits

The Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, he took paternity leave and, while he was involved in parenting, critics feasted on the situation.

“Loser” and “a little weird” were some of the most memorable reactions after he and her husband, Chasten, took their twins home. The attack clearly encapsulated the stigma that has prevented some working parents from taking advantage of such family policies, despite the social and economic benefits they represent.

“Isn’t it supposed to be for the person who gave birth?” TV host and commentator Joe Rogan asked during his podcast Tuesday, before stating that it was strange for fathers to get parental and maternity leave simultaneously.

Joe Lonsdale, a co-founder of Palantir Technologies Inc. and a prolific venture capitalist, was quick to tweet Wednesday that any prominent man who takes six months off to care for his children is a “loser.”

Buttigieg, who adopted Penelope Rose and Joseph August this year and announced their departure in August, said in an interview with ABC News that something good came out of the reviews, because it started a conversation.

“We are almost the only country left in the world that does not have some kind of policy … and when parents take parental leave, they need support,” he said. “If there is the idea that perhaps men have access to paternity leave, but it is frowned upon if they actually use it … that leads to the assumption that women are going to do all the work.”

The conversation about men’s family roles unfolds as Democrats in Congress scrap a paid family leave proposal to get the president’s $ 1.75 trillion economic plan Joe Biden is approved. Republicans are united in opposition to the plan, and two moderate Democratic senators, Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema, have raised questions about the overall cost of the initiative. The United States is one of only seven countries in the world that does not require paid leave for new mothers.

The pandemic brought the difficulties of working parents to center stage. The shortage of childcare services has prevented women, in particular, from re-entering the workforce and is hurting job growth. Between February 2020 and February 2021, more than 2.3 million women left the workforce, bringing their participation rate to 57%, lower than at any time since 1988, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. .

While more men take advantage of parental leave when it is available, the criticism that erupted over Buttigieg is a reminder that a stigma still exists. Only 62% of men take the full number of days off for which they are eligible, compared to 93% of women, according to a 2019 study from the Boston College Center for Work and Family. Some men take only part of the time available.

As for the economic impact of parental leave, a report from the Department of Labor indicates that it is positive for the whole family. Longer licenses are associated with greater commitment and togetherness, leading to better health and development for children.

When fathers take leave, that also helps mothers do paid work, increasing their participation in the workforce and their wages. States with paid leave policies saw a 20% reduction in the number of women leaving work in the first year after giving birth, and a reduction of up to 50% after five years, according to a 2019 study conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a non-profit organization. The paper analyzed the labor market participation of women in California and New Jersey before and after each state launched a system of paid family and medical leave.

That study also found that, in the long run, paid family leave nearly closed the gap in labor force participation between mothers with young children and those without. For women without access to such permission, almost 30% left the workforce within a year after giving birth and one in five did not return for more than a decade.