So staying home for an extended period of time to change diapers, clean up puke and cater to a fussy child isn’t what it’s cracked up to be?
By Vivia Chen
What’s the deal? Do they want it or not?
First, we were told that they’re different from their fathers, that they want to be hands-on parents and that management better get on the stick.
And, by golly, they got their wish: Big Law and other elite professions started offering paid paternity leaves that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Though some firms only offer a meager two weeks of paid leave for “secondary caregivers,” others are offering 10 weeks, 18 weeks or whatever your heart desires.
So are battalions of men now marching off to care for their babies months at a time with nary a thought about what’s happening in the office? Well, that’s what they keep saying. Ask most firms about paternity leave and they will tell you, “It’s not a big deal here. All our lawyers take their full leave—and without stigma!”—as if we’re living in the new age of gender enlightenment. The party line is that paternity leave is wildly popular and used.
Maybe it’s popular. But how many men take leave, particularly if it’s more than a week or two?
