Way to Go, California
Posted on 28. Apr, 2010 by Brian Reid in gender equity, paternity leave
As part of a job switch I am undergoing, I received a helpful brochure in the mail today regarding California’s paid leave law. It made me stunningly happy. (The brochure is reproduced here, to the left. If you want one for your own wall, you can download the PDF.)
It doesn’t make me happy because I expect to need to use paid leave. I hope that my family remains healthy and that my vasectomy holds and that I never have to take advantage of the law. No, the brochure makes me happy because of the five images in the brochure, three include men and two feature what appear to be fathers.
I’ve long argued that guys should be using paid leave at a much higher level, and that taking two or three days for the birth of a kid shortchanges everyone. So I am absolutely thrilled to see that the State of California has chosen to depict those who use paid leave as they should be, not as they actually are.
Cameron Phillips
28. Apr, 2010
Thanks for this, Brian
This is a good step (in both policy and honest marketing) but there is still a long way to go.
I’m currently in contact with a man in Alberta. He’s in senior management and is a new dad for the fist time at 41. He wants to take some time off (which is not only his legal right, but is paid in Canada.) However, he’s coming up against barriers at every turn. He’s been told he’s “too valuable” to the team, that they “can’t afford to cover for him.” They haven’t out-and-out denied him leave; they are just making him jump through a never ending series of hoops. To further pressure him, they are doing a lot of that macho-this-is-cowboy-country bull shit where men are men and women watch the kids. He’s now considering legal action.
So while policy can be changed, it still takes some time for culture to catch up.
Cameron Phillips
Bettermen Solutions
Philip
28. Apr, 2010
This is good to see. In Iowa (at most companies) we still get to use our vacation time for our children’s births. That or unpaid FMLA. Actually, I was granted a week paid under FMLA for the birth of our second. The HR rep (female) scolded me and informed me that I shouldn’t be taking advantage of the system. I informed her that I was not going golfing, we had a two year old at home. I asked if she would rather me take two days of vacation and then leave my wife with the new born and the two year old. She didn’t say anything else and just signed the form. I am not exactly sure how she thought I was taking advantage of the system? Anyway, some day!