I think an even-handed approach would be best — the leave for a pregnant worker should be precisely equal to the leave for a male worker whose wife is pregnant.
Then the question becomes: is this a good idea?
I think fewer people would say “Yes”, and I’m sure a lot fewer feminists would say “Yes”. But any other approach is a sexist approach which picks winners and losers between the sexes. And we can’t have that.
Agreed. The current law allows for unpaid family leave, but men rarely use all of it, since most young families require at least one income.
But if it is paid, then more would use the full leave period, since there is no economic incentive not to.
Um, so a breastfeeding mom and all other mothers who need to bond with their infant for the good of emotional health and well being doesn’t deserve any more time off work than the father would get? How do you figure that? I’m all for letting dad’s take some time away, a manager at my job just did. But if having to choose between one or the other an infant needs its mother a little bit more wouldn’t you say?