Should Men Get Paid Paternity Leave?

One of the reason why men need paternity leave is that they need that time to form a bond with their child. Women have that time “built in” they have 9 months of pregnancy, feel the baby growing inside of them, they feel the baby move inside. When the child is birthed the bond between mother and child is almost instant. The Father does not have the physical bond that the mother receives. They need the tangible bond to transform from just a father into a dad. There have been studies that have shown men that have a longer amount of paternity leave are more attached and involved 9 months after the birth of their child than they would have been with no leave at all.
In the U.S., traditionally what we value is the importance of family. Having paid p paternity leave would strongly enforce that value. Also, men, traditionally, are considered the head of the household this is reflected in most society but not in regards to paternity leave.
when it comes to paid paternity leave. In Sweden, new fathers are given the option of two months paid paternity leave and in Norway the men get up to 10 weeks, and in Spain up to 4 weeks paid paternity leave. Unfortunately, in the United States there is no national policy that mandates that men are granted paid paternity leave or not even the option of unpaid paternity leave.
One of the reason that it may seem that it may seem daunting for men to take paternity leave at all is the cost of having a child. Although some companies offer unpaid leave, many families can’t afford to be unpaid for any amount of leave. According to babycenter.com the estimate of a baby’s first year is 13,000.00. This, obviously would be very difficult to maintain if either parent went on unpaid leave. Having paid paternity leave would help a father not only form that bond with his new child without sacrificing his financial