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The Risky Business of Paternity Leave
When men take time off to care for family members, their long-term earnings suffer—just as women's do. Here's why it's worth it.
In the January/February Atlantic, Liza Mundy describes "the genius of paternity leave": it gives fathers a chance to be involved parents from the very beginning. The results are good for men, women, and children—and for society. As Mundy sees it, encouraging men to take parental leave might even solve the "having it all" dilemma faced by many working women. We've asked several experienced writers to share their own perspectives. The group includes Arlie Hochschild, the author of the groundbreaking book The Second Shift, as well as two Atlantic editors: Alexis Madrigal, fresh from his own paternity leave, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, a longtime primary caretaker of his now-teenage son.
When men take time off to care for family members, their long-term earnings suffer—just as women's do. Here's why it's worth it.
Don't give dudes special credit for things they're supposed to do anyway.
New fathers are reluctant to take paternity leave for a lot of reasons. One might be sheer terror.
In an unpredictable job market, spouses do better when they "cross-train" at home.
