1 in 3 men think taking paternity leave will jeopardise their career

Companies are always striving to create an inclusive workplace that allows everyone of the same benefits.

However, the latest research from Deloitte shows that even though parental leave policies are highly valued by employees, most men aren’t comfortable taking paternal leave.

In an online poll that surveyed 1,000 American employees, with access to employer benefits, it was found that one-third of men stated that taking parental leave would jeopardise their position.

Additionally,67% of men felt that taking parental leave would be perceived as a lack of commitment to the job.

In fact, fewer than half of the respondents felt their company even fosters an environment in which men feel comfortable to take paternity leave.

"Parental leave is about much more than recovering from a medical event. It's about bonding with a new child – and that goes for fathers as well as mothers," said Deepa Purushothaman, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and national managing principal of Deloitte's Women's Initiative.

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Not only do they feel uncomfortable, but many men find the amount of paternal leave offered to be vital when making career decisions.

Almost four out of five (77%) indicated that the amount of parental leave offered had at least a little sway on their decision when choosing one company over another.

Plus, 64% of respondents said that companies should offer men and women the same amount of parental leave and 50% said that they would rather have more parental leave than a pay raise.

Other highlights from the survey include:

• 54% felt that their colleagues would judge a father who took the same amount of parental leave as a mother
• Nearly nine in ten respondents would value their organisations expanding leave policies to include family care beyond parental leave (such as for lesser acknowledged family leaves such as caring for elderly parents)

“Many employees, male and female, are coming to expect the flexibility to support care-giving and family needs, and employers can help by ensuring their people are not stuck deciding between their job and family,” said Purushothaman.

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