Prince William Goes Where Most Men Don’t – Takes Paternity Leave

Unless you have spent the last week joyriding on Mars atop the Mars Rover, you know that Prince William and Kate Middleton had a baby boy, George Alexander Louis, who will one day be King of England. Nothing unusual about a royal birth, but what IS unusual is the fact that Prince William has opted to take a two week paternity leave, which could set a precedent for men worldwide. You rarely hear of men taking extended time off after the birth of a child. The main reason he is taking the leave is because his country offers it and he really wants this time with his child. William's paternity leave makes him the first senior member of the royal family to take such a step.

William is obviously very interested in being a hands on dad, which will send a very powerful message around the world about the importance of being a father and William is certainly very aware of that fact.

I applaud William for this move and I hope it does strike a chord with men. Paternity leave is not offered in the U.S. The only option for American fathers is to take time under the Family Medical leave Act.....and that is not even guaranteed because there are conditions that must exist in that workplace to even be eligible for leave under the FMLA.

The unfortunate side of this issue is the fact that some, if not most men would be worried about asking for extended time off from work for the birth of a child, for fear they would be viewed as not committed to their jobs, or worse yet....wimpy. In fact recent studies show that men who function as primary caregivers to their children are treated more disrespectfully in the workplace as opposed to men who are not primary caregivers.

Again, I think what Prince William is doing is great and its about time someone stepped up in this arena. Like it or not, this could very well be a game changer. He knows all to well that he is on a world stage and everyone is watching. it takes a big man to step up like this. Cheers to you William on this brave and bold decision, your mother would be proud.......very proud.

[Yahoo]