Americans Still Don't Think Fathers Deserve Paternity Leave

When it comes to parental leave, America lags behind most countries. In fact, recent data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development looking at 41 countries found the United States in last place, with a total of zero weeks of federally required paid parental leave. Now, a new study from Pew Research suggests that while Americans generally support parental leave, we're still a nation divided on who we deem deserving—and gender plays a big role in where we fall on the issue.

The new report found that about 15 percent of those surveyed believe men shouldn't take paternity leave (whether paid or unpaid), while three percent believe women should not receive any paid maternal leave. Unsurprisingly, these results have less to do with actual facts and more to do with antiquated views on how gender affects caregiving.

Fifty-three percent of people surveyed believe that (even discounting the topic of breastfeeding), women do a better job caring for children than men. And while this could be seen as a matter of opinion, researchers concluded, "Attitudes about gender roles and caregiving are linked, at least in part, to views about the impact of paid leave on men." They also concluded that more than half of all adults (53 percent) believe American society values the contribution men make at work more than contributions they make at home.

These ideas about gender and caregiving also affect support for paid paternity leave. Of those who said that women are naturally better caregivers than men, 61 percent supported paternity leave—a dip from the 78 percent of participants who said men and women are equally-qualified caregivers and support paid paternity leave.

Overall, the report concludes that "majorities of adults express support for paid leave for mothers and fathers after the birth or adoption of their child," and nearly all participants agreed that if all Americans had access to paid paternal leave, the impact would be positive for individuals, families, and the economy.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development recommends an average paid maternity leave time of just under 20 weeks—but with zero guaranteed weeks of paid paternal leave, America still had a long way to go. And while Trump has been keen to give a nod to the idea of expanding maternity leave, his proposed policy will likely only benefit the rich, leaving many parents in the dark.