Maternity leave has always been a matter of discussion but paternity leave is something which is not often talked about. Alexis Ohanian, husband of the American star Serena Williams has to say a lot about the importance of paternity leaves. In an open editorial for the New York Times, Ohanian wrote that he took 16 weeks of paternity leave after the birth of his daughter, Olympia, and he wants to talk about it so that other men also realise how important paternity leave is.
Ohanian talks about the importance of paternity leave
Ohanian says that he himself did not understand the idea of paternity leave earlier as his father did not take leave when he was born. Also, the fact that men are generally considered the breadwinner in the family, are not supposed to spend much time at home. So on the surface, the idea of paternity leave does not sound to have much reasoning but Ohanian realised its worth when he spent 16 weeks with his wife and newborn. He says:
“Before Olympia was born, I had never thought much about paternity leave and, to be honest, Reddit’s company policy was not my idea. Our vice president of people and culture, Katelin Holloway, brought it up to me in a meeting and it sounded O.K., so why not?”
He added further:
“Then came Olympia, after near-fatal complications forced my wife, Serena, to undergo an emergency C-section. Serena spent days in recovery fighting for her life against pulmonary embolisms. When we came home with our baby girl, Serena had a hole in her abdomen that needed bandage changes daily. She was on medication. She couldn’t walk.”
Ohanian says that the reason that men do not take leave even though they understand its importance is the fact that they fear losing jobs or being passed up for promotions. Some men feel that their organisations will never support paternity leave and that is the reason that they avoid taking paternity leave. He says:
“All people deserve fulfilling work and close family ties. No dad should feel forced to wholly prioritize work over family at a time as important as the arrival of a new baby — a time that is not only critical in the beginning but has far-reaching impact years down the line.”
