Paternity Leave

AdelaideNow... Do men face their own glass ceiling?

A male worker told her during her recent listening tour that he was seen as letting the team down when he asked for access to flexible work conditions.


Yes, we do think men should get over birth quickly and get back to work so we are probably still thinking as women as the primary carer post birth...and that may well be right but not possible in a working world. Dads seem to be very interested in their new born. They do like caring and helping and it is something which should be encouraged when we want both sexes to work. I do think we need to get to the bottom of these beliefs about either sex and look at what works well. Around here there are a lot of pram pushing Dads and a lot of dads who take the littlies out for a walk. Judging by all the smiles an daughter...it works. Same at the shops. A lot more Dads are doing the shopping with little children and their conversations are good. It's a good thing we have 2 parents who care about their children so I think the men's issues around this need to be out in the open and managed. It has to benefit everyone because women often are in the position they have to keep having time off to care for kids. It needs to be shared these days and we do need to look at perceptions which may no longer be appropriate.