Parental leave: dads don't like it

What does parental leave have to do with the fight against waste? The connection is tied to a few good reasons. The first: child burden, It's all on women's shoulders, penalizing them in a very severe, discriminatory way in the world of work. Everywhere. And this means that Italy is squandering one of its natural resources: female employment. In fact, the female employment rate in our country is around 46,1 percent, compared to a European average of 58,1 percent. It has been calculated that if we were able to increase female employment to 60 percent (as foreseen by the European Treaty of Lisbon), our GDP, that is, the wealth of the country in terms of gross domestic product, would soar by 7 percent. And yet a child change your life to everyone, to the father as well as to the mother.

Not only would we not need to burden taxpayers, but Italy would have the momentum, in terms of economic growth, of China's golden years. And this would fix many things, including the public finances. It's clear that the statistics point to wasted opportunities in this situation, and that we must face reality anyway. But the increase in babysitting fathers translates into one essential thing: with a A greater balance between both parents' responsibilities towards their children creates conditions for better work and career opportunities for women. And the wall of an overly rigid pattern in Italy is being torn down, according to which the mother is often at home and the father in the office or factory.

The second waste that the increase in babysitting dads counteracts is more intimate, but of great value.How many times does a man, looking back, regret having wasted the opportunity to share, fully and as fully as possible, the pleasure of being a parent and of doing so with his wife and children themselves? The Italian family has been short-circuited, also for this reason, namely, an imbalance in roles and the father's absence, a lack of presence, sometimes completely unjustified. Finally, a nanny father shouldn't be afraid to ask for optional leave, thinking it will slow down his career or that his boss will consider him a slacker. He must be courageous, especially if he can afford it, because, after all, being a father is as beautiful as being a mother. And, unfortunately, it doesn't last forever.

But why do fathers refuse parental leave? The nonprofit organization "WeWorld," in collaboration with Ipsos, has produced a report titled "Dad, Not Mom," which provides some answers. First, the law, after so many years, hasn't resolved a cultural dilemma: fathers continue to believe that childcare is the responsibility of women, not both. Meanwhile, men must focus on work and career, anchored in their role as breadwinner. This prejudice, unfortunately, is widespread among both fathers and mothers. Furthermore, there is ignorance of the opportunities provided by the law: only 40 percent of fathers and 35 percent of mothers know that paternity leave is mandatory. Finally, there is no shortage of pressure from companies that prefer to have men at work and leave family responsibilities to women. Perhaps even forcing them to to resign.

Read also:

• Women at work, husbands unemployed. This is how 1 million families are saved.
• Iceland passes law forcing companies to pay men and women equal pay.
• In Austria, it's easier to be a mother: a thousand-euro allowance and up to three years' leave.