Skip to main content

Majority of countries guarantee paid paternity leave — but not the U.S.

Family And Marriage,Parenting,Work-Life Balance,World

From the Left

Sixty-three percent of countries around the world provide guaranteed paid parental leave for fathers, according to a report out Tuesday morning from the World Policy Analysis Center.

Why it matters: Though support is growing for paternity leave, there's still a stigma attached to men who take time off to care for their children. Yet, studies find numerous benefits for the economy, for fathers, and for their partners.

"There is widespread recognition that we don't solve gender equality without dads getting leave," says Jody Heymann, founding director of the policy center and a UCLA distinguished professor of public health and public affairs.

The big picture: Back in the 1990s, only 46 countries had a paid leave policy for fathers, largely high-income nations, per the policy center's data. Now the number is nearly three times as high.

Conspicuously absent from the list: The U.S.

AllSides Picks

More News about Family and Marriage

News from the Left

News from the Center

News from the Right