The General Public’s Attitude towards Parental or Paternity Leave

The amended Employment Code extended the ability to take paternity leave from a lone father caring for a child to all men irrespective their marital status. This amendment made men and women formally equal in respect to the care for a child from birth to the age of three. Despite this, there was only a very small percentage of respondents (11%) who in the April CPOR census that stated that they new a man who was currently on paternity leave. The first reason they stated for paternity leave was that the man was unemployed and couldn’t find a job whilst the woman could. The second reason was again economic, stating that the woman had a better paid job. Only the third reason identified health problems of the wife/ female spouse.