
Fathers Rights Should Not Be Forgotten
Are you a father or looking to become one? If so, do you have access to paid family leave? Odds are, the answer to that next question is no, considering that only 13% of New England workers has access to paid family leave.
Men should have the ability to spend time with their newborns, sick relatives, or loved ones and not have to worry about being compensated during those strenuous times. According to “Thinkprocess”, only 35% of fathers took time off in California before paid leave was passed into law, now 75% take advantage of this policy. Since society depicts fathers as the breadwinners, it is harder for men to spend time with their families when they don’t have access to paid family leave. More than 70% of men, according to “The New Dad” from Boston College, see themselves as both “caring for their child and earning money to meet their financial needs.”
Many members of society fail to see the benefits that paid paternity leave brings and instead advocate solely for mothers to receive this opportunity. Single fathers have difficult times as well as single mothers. Having paid family leave for both mothers and fathers would widen the opportunities available to them. It would be less difficult for families take care of sick loved ones or newborn and adopted children. Additionally, less people would be heading towards debt during these difficult times. Many families take out loans during since families members either have to take a lot of time off of work, quit their jobs or pay for child care.
70% of men who take time off later on share a bond with their child. But still, when men take time off from work to take care of a newborn, there’s sometimes still stigma in the workplace and culturally.
If you want to fight for Paid Family Leave as well as other policies aimed at reducing income inequality in Massachusetts, press here

