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Today's Question Blog
Michael Olson

Should new fathers get paid parental leave?

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In the U.S., paternity leave is a luxury.

Dads on leave
Kumar Chandran and Elanor Starmer with their son, Kailas Chandran. The couple's friends are envious of Chandran's paid paternity leave. NPR

"Fathers who take leave end up doing more of the routine work later," University of Oregon researcher Scott Coltrane told NPR. "They do more of the transportation, more of the cooking, more of the child care, more of the doing homework with the kids. It's just kind of an early buy-in that helps men stay involved later."

"Just 10 to 15 percent of U.S. employers offer paid paternity leave, almost all in white-collar professions," writes NPR's Jennifer Ludden. The U.S. is "the only developed nation that doesn't guarantee paid time off, even for new mothers."

Today's Question: Should new fathers get paid time off for paternity leave?