Since the beginning, people viewed women as more suitable for child rearing than fathers. Even now, many people still believe that child rearing responsibilities must fall upon the mother. Fathers, on the other hand, are perceived as bread winners or disciplinarians who attend work and leave the bonding and child rearing to mothers who are more nurturing and patient. Does this mean men can’t possess these qualities and therefore, should not take a more active part in childcare? Furthermore, most companies in the United States do not give paternity leave and as a result, fathers miss out on valuable time during the first few weeks of their baby’s life. Subsequently, this can negatively affect the newborn. The SMU Law Review carried out research …show more content…
As stated in a NewTimes article, paternity leave is a holiday for fathers. A majority of fathers’ claim they are scared of handling newborns because they are delicate and fear dropping them. Furthermore, mothers are more in tune with baby language and fathers would not immediately jump out of their sleep late at night and attend to their crying child. The first few months are difficult and therefore, are the mother’s responsibility (Garuka). Actually, paternity leave is an opportunity for fathers to become familiar with their child and to assist with the mothers’ recovery. Taken from the Maternal and Child Health Journal, “research has indicated that social support is a major buffer of postpartum depression” (Negron et al.). Fathers can give social support to mothers during the first tough months after childbirth by allowing mothers to rest and also reduce the child rearing responsibilities. In fact, fathers are equally equipped as mothers at providing the kind, gentle, and loving care that babies need throughout the day. Research has shown “the influence of a father’s love on children's development is as great as the influence of a mother's love” (American Psychological