Should men receive full pay on paternity leave?

[ducatiboy 10]

Women have to have a minimum of 6weeks off following birth for basic medical reasons. Takes a long time for the body to recover from childbirth, and c sections. It would be sexual discrimination if this were not at full pay.

 

Paternity leave on the other hand is a benefit, or what some would even class as a luxury. There is no physical/medical reason why the father needs to be off.

Read what you have written and think about your comments regarding paternity leave. I have just taken 4 weeks paternity leave two weeks fully paid and two weeks unpaid. Why did i do this. answer, refer to the first part of your post. It does take a woman a long time for her body to not only adjust to having been pregnant for 9 months but she now has the trauma of looking after a newborn feeding on demand and all the other things a baby brings. Do you think the father then takes 2 weeks off to go fishing or go to the pub with his mates?? Actually it has been a very busy time for both of us. Fortunately my mrs having had a c section doesnt tend to hang around so she has been working too hard IMHO but you cant keep a good woman down!! These are the physical and medical reasons a man needs paternity leave. TO ALLOW HIS WIFE TO RECOVER AND TO CARE FOR THE FAMILY!!

Edited June 9, 2010 by Ms Macbeth
fixed quotes

[ducatiboy 10]

Why do men need to take paternity leave at all? It's not as if they can breastfeed the baby or take time to get their bodies back to normal after giving birth.

 

I'm all for the mother taking maternity leave for the above reasons, but the father doesn't really have a major role to play, save for looking after the baby in the evening when the mother's too tired.

You havent got any children have you? In fact I bet you are single with an attitude like yours. When you have a newborn there is no evening morning afternoon there is only work work and more work. Do you think when night comes the baby doent need care and all the things it needs during the day?? Gordon I do find your posts amusing and I must say you are THE biggest troll on the forum but after 4 weeks of pternity leave your comments are pretty offensive!

[ukstudent 10]

In an ideal world all women would be paid a wage to stop at home with their children and raise them in a secure family environment

 

Why should they?

 

It is their choice to have children.

[discodown 11]

If anyone thinks they are hard done to by maternity/paternity pay in this country I suggest you google the rights that workers in America/Autralia/Canada get and then see if you really have a right to moan

[rothschild 10]

ukstudent........I did say in an ideal world. We don't live in an ideal world though so it won't happen. The same applies to paternity leave/pay.....choices etc.

If I had to choose where my taxes went though I would rather contribute towards the mother/father being able to stop at home for at least the first year of the childs life in order to provide a structured and secure footing for the future. I think thats more important then paid paternity leave.

Nowadays everybody gets 4 weeks annual paid leave so whats wrong with allocating two of those weeks towards helping with the new born baby?

Statutory paternity leave is a state funded benefit which is a lovely idea but one that perhaps the country can't really afford now?

[Guest sibon]

Why should they?

 

It is their choice to have children.

 

Dear ukstudent

 

You might wish to consider who will pay your pension when you get older.

 

If you think a little more deeply, you might wish to consider what wil happen if nobody has any children.

 

Children are essential for all our futures. I currently don't need any undergrads, but I know that they will come in useful in the future. Therefore, I wish you well in your studies.

 

Regards

 

sibon

[SaxonLeigh 11]

All you employed people moaning about paternity pay, I wish my OH could atleast get the £123 SPP but as he is self employed he gets nothing. Yeah he can take the two weeks off but we will have no money comming in at that time.

 

Then there are those people who keep saying, well you've had 9 months to prepair, why didnt you just save save save. But baby things are expensive, even second hand & all our money has gone in to buying the stuff we need for the baby.

 

Two weeks money is alot to loose & its hard for us to decided whether to loose the money & OH stay at home or OH go to work & risk both our health & sanity.

 

it just makes me so angry that people are maoning that £123 a week isnt enough, they should be thankful they get anything at all!

[mary70 10]

All you employed people moaning about paternity pay, I wish my OH could atleast get the £123 SPP but as he is self employed he gets nothing. Yeah he can take the two weeks off but we will have no money comming in at that time.

 

Then there are those people who keep saying, well you've had 9 months to prepair, why didnt you just save save save. But baby things are expensive, even second hand & all our money has gone in to buying the stuff we need for the baby.

 

Two weeks money is alot to loose & its hard for us to decided whether to loose the money & OH stay at home or OH go to work & risk both our health & sanity.

 

it just makes me so angry that people are maoning that £123 a week isnt enough, they should be thankful they get anything at all!

 

[EmilyM 10]

Why do men need to take paternity leave at all? It's not as if they can breastfeed the baby or take time to get their bodies back to normal after giving birth.

 

I'm all for the mother taking maternity leave for the above reasons, but the father doesn't really have a major role to play, save for looking after the baby in the evening when the mother's too tired.

 

Maybe some men want to spend time with their newborn child and bond with him/her in those first few weeks of the baby's life.

[llamatron 10]

I don't even think women should be given paid maternity leave as they are not doing their job so definitely not!

[PuressenceUK 10]

Nobody asked your wife/partner to get pregnant. It's your choice, the same as it's the choice of the employer to grant you full/statutory pay for your time off. It's not a right.

 

(If anyone can't guess I'm getting a bit brassed off covering for colleagues who have been off on paternity leave)

[Bonzo77 13]

Nobody asked your wife/partner to get pregnant. It's your choice, the same as it's the choice of the employer to grant you full/statutory pay for your time off. It's not a right.

 

(If anyone can't guess I'm getting a bit brassed off covering for colleagues who have been off on paternity leave)

 

How do you expect people to cope if they have children??

 

(as you can probably tell i'm a bit brassed off at listening to people moaning about having to cover for maternity/paternity leave!)

 

It's our god given right to have children, it's the main reason we exist! Just because we live in a modern work based society & are made to go into work (most people to a job that they don't even like) doesn't mean we shouldn't have to stop breading does it? Nobody asked me if I wanted to be born & work for a living, that's just the way it is!