Fighting For Paid Leave For Dads

This dad won $5 million for 5,000 fathers who were denied full paid paternity leave — and he wants to see companies treat dads like equal parents.

Transcript

00:00A newborn baby isn't some mythological creature that only the mom actually knows how to talk

00:20to or understand.

00:22Family dynamics have changed significantly in the last 50 years or so.

00:26Racial, gender roles in parenting really just don't apply like they used to.

00:56The Women's Rights Project, which was the team of attorneys from the ACLU, a lot of

01:10people seem to be surprised that they're representing a man, but it really underscores the fact

01:15that equality doesn't work if it isn't for everyone.

01:19It's not just as simple as presuming that a mother is going to be the primary caregiver

01:25if for whatever reason the company isn't able to just have a very simple, streamlined

01:30policy that's as simple as have a new kid, have 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16, 20, whatever it

01:36might be.

01:38The policies, if it's going to be for caregiving, need to be on a level playing field.

01:57The U.S. is lagging behind in this respect significantly, and really we're the only industrialized

02:04nation in the world that doesn't have a type of policy that has to be implemented.

02:35Prototypical nuclear family isn't always, it's just not something that exists anymore,

02:42or it does exist, but it's not for everyone, and it's sort of up to the individual family

02:47to decide how best to raise their own children, how best to proceed.

02:51It's not best for the employers to decide that.