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It may tend to have different effects if paternity leave is available state or country wide. Then social norms may begin to change. See, for example, Iceland:

It may tend to have different effects if paternity leave is available state or country wide. Then social norms may begin to change. See, for example, Iceland: "…if you are in a job the state gives you nine months on fully paid child leave, to be split among the mother and the father as they so please. ‘This means that employers know a man they hire is just as likely as a woman to take time off to look after a baby,’ explained Svafa Grönfeldt, currently rector of Reykjavik University, previously a very high-powered executive. ‘Paternity leave is the thing that made the difference for women’s equality in this country.’" http://economicwoman.com/2008/05/21/human-development-and-paternity-leave/ http://economicwoman.com/2008/05/21/human-development-and-pa...

Tichy 17y ago
This is not a changing social norms. It is just parents trying to get as much money out of the state as possible. It sounds as if the state pays 4.5 months for women and 4.5 months for men. So it makes sense for men to take off the 4.5 months and collect the free money (granted they don't earn their wages during that time, but it is still paid holidays).
- DaniFong 17y ago
  Do you have proof?
  - Tichy 17y ago
    Just look at countries where it is optional who takes the maternal leave. Didn't someone further up in the thread give an example? Edit: reading again what you wrote I am not sure: is the law in iceland that each parent can take up to 4.5 months leave, or is it 9 months they can divide freely (ie 9 months mother, 0 months father or vice versa would be possible?). I thought they can only take at most 4.5 months each. I only just know read the article you linked, and it didn't actually give numbers for the proportions of men and women taking the leave. So the claim in the article is worthless (it sounds like just some politician justifying their policies). I have read before that things in iceland are quite different, though. I think it is much more common that the whole family (grandparents) takes care of children and divorced women, so maybe there is less pressure on them.
xiaoma 17y ago
But it doesn't mean that. The mother has the option to share the maternity leave time. In practice, men aren't as likely to take time off, not even in Iceland.
- DaniFong 17y ago
  Even if men are less likely to take time off, the fact that they still can is a significant positive for women.

Tichy 17y ago

This is not a changing social norms. It is just parents trying to get as much money out of the state as possible. It sounds as if the state pays 4.5 months for women and 4.5 months for men. So it makes sense for men to take off the 4.5 months and collect the free money (granted they don't earn their wages during that time, but it is still paid holidays).

DaniFong 17y ago
Do you have proof?
- Tichy 17y ago
  Just look at countries where it is optional who takes the maternal leave. Didn't someone further up in the thread give an example? Edit: reading again what you wrote I am not sure: is the law in iceland that each parent can take up to 4.5 months leave, or is it 9 months they can divide freely (ie 9 months mother, 0 months father or vice versa would be possible?). I thought they can only take at most 4.5 months each. I only just know read the article you linked, and it didn't actually give numbers for the proportions of men and women taking the leave. So the claim in the article is worthless (it sounds like just some politician justifying their policies). I have read before that things in iceland are quite different, though. I think it is much more common that the whole family (grandparents) takes care of children and divorced women, so maybe there is less pressure on them.

xiaoma 17y ago

But it doesn't mean that. The mother has the option to share the maternity leave time. In practice, men aren't as likely to take time off, not even in Iceland.

DaniFong 17y ago
Even if men are less likely to take time off, the fact that they still can is a significant positive for women.