chalicotheria:

I support fathers getting paternity leave since it encourages them to do more of the work of raising their child and take some of the pressure off of the mother. But I fucking hate it when people frame the case as “mothers get maternity leave, so it’s only fair if fathers do too.” Like, the mother is going through/just went through a huge medical event! She absolutely needs the time off. The father doesn’t need the time off in nearly the same way. He should get it because it has practical benefits for the mother and child, and maybe even because it’s a major life change (in general everyone should get some time off for major life changes), but not because “fairness” or whatever the fuck. Let’s not pretend that the mothers and fathers of newborns are really in the same position.