The Relationship and Parenting Benefits of Paternity Leave

Parenting together in the first days, weeks, or months of a child’s life is instrumental in shaping family dynamics, our survey showed.

“The beginning of becoming parents was a very important time to be together,” one father said. “We both learned together about the baby, how to raise a child, and the approach we would take as parents and how to be ... See more

Indeed, research indicates that longer periods of paternal leave are associated with more frequent engagement in developmental tasks and caretaking during the first few years of children’s lives.

The UK has the least generous paternity leave entitlement in Europe. Currently, the statutory entitlement to paternity leave is two weeks and the weekly rate for paternity pay is £172 a week, which is 44% of the national living wage. Shockingly, new survey data reveals that for 1 in 5 (20%) dads, no parental leave options were available to them fol... See more

“There are plenty of benefits to SPL. Aside from the benefits to children of both parents spending time with their newborns, from an employer and economic perspective, you want good employees to return to the workplace quickly. And you want a diverse workplace. A situation where women are primarily responsible for childcare and fathers do not take ... See more

One study by Saxbe and colleagues highlights the potential power of paternity leave in shaping the dad brain. The research teams compared brain scans in first-time fathers in California with those of first-time fathers in Spain. Both groups of fathers showed changes. However, comparing the two countries showed interesting differences. One key diffe... See more