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Why paternity leave benefits everyone | The Way We Work, a TED series
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Why paternity leave benefits everyone | The Way We Work, a TED series

The Importance of Paternity Leave

Personal Experience with Paternity Leave

  • The speaker recalls the nervousness of asking for seven months of paternity leave while his wife was three months pregnant.
  • He reflects on traditional masculinity in Japan, emphasizing societal expectations around being stoic and dominant, which were challenged by his wife's views on gender roles.

Current State of Paternity Leave in Japan

  • Despite Japan's generous 12-month paid parental leave policy, only about 7% of fathers utilized it in 2020, with most taking two weeks or less.
  • The speaker highlights the negative impact of workplace pressure on Japanese men’s involvement at home during crucial family moments.

Benefits of Taking Paternity Leave

  • After receiving approval from his boss for paternity leave, he felt valued and focused more on family time, leading to a joyful bonding experience with his newborn son.
  • Engaging in childcare activities strengthened his relationship with his son and improved overall fatherhood satisfaction.

Impact on Relationships and Mental Health

  • Research indicates that longer paternity leaves correlate with increased father engagement during early childhood years.
  • The speaker notes improvements in marital relationships due to shared responsibilities at home; a McKinsey survey found that 90% of fathers reported enhanced relationships after taking leave.

Economic and Societal Implications

  • Involvement from fathers reduces postpartum depression risks for mothers, showcasing the emotional support provided through shared parenting duties.
  • The imbalance created when only women take childcare leave can hinder women's career progression; shared parental leave can help mitigate this issue.

Cultural Shifts Towards Gender Equality

  • A Swedish study revealed that each month a father takes parental leave increases the mother’s earnings by approximately 7%.
  • There is a growing desire among young people in Japan for partners who will share parental responsibilities; companies can benefit from fostering inclusive cultures regarding paternity leave.

Positive Outcomes for Businesses

  • Returning to work post-leave has made the speaker feel more productive and focused, echoing sentiments from mothers returning from maternity leave.
  • Companies offering paid family leave report positive impacts on employee morale (80%) and productivity (70%).

Broader Societal Benefits

Channel: TED
Video description

Paternity leave has many benefits for dads, their partners and their babies -- but did you know it also has surprising benefits for companies? This is what author Shu Matsuo Post learned from his seven transformative months of paternity leave -- and he says it can create more equal and diverse workplaces and even boost productivity. The Way We Work is a TED original video series where leaders and thinkers offer practical wisdom and insight into how we can adapt and thrive amid changing workplace conventions. Visit https://go.ted.com/thewaywework for more! Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know. Become a TED Member: http://ted.com/membership Follow TED on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TEDTalks Like TED on Facebook: http://facebook.com/TED Subscribe to our channel: http://youtube.com/TED TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com