“It’s robbing that man of the opportunity to bond with his child.”
New dads don’t get to spend enough time with their newborns. They’re expected to pop back into the office as if this life-altering thing hasn’t turned their entire world upside down. A few days of cuddles, nappy changes, and a lot of tears, and bam, return to your desk, please.
It’s the norm in our society, but Joshua Jackson is calling for a change.
The former Dawson’s Creek star said expecting fathers to return to work is wrong. They’re missing out on such valuable time with their baby and partner.
He told Mr. Porter: “I now recognise how perverse the way that we have set up our society is. There is not a father I know who works a regular job who didn’t go back to the office a week later.”
View this post on Instagram
“It’s robbing that man of the opportunity to bond with his child and spend time with his partner,” he stressed.
The actor and Jodie Turner-Smith welcomed their daughter in April 2020.
Jackson said he’s grateful the pandemic gave him more time than usual with their baby girl Janie.
Speaking of his daughter, he shared: “It’s 100 percent changed how I approach my work and my life. That has been made so clear to me in this past year. For me to feel good about what I’m doing day to day, my family has to be the central focus.”
View this post on Instagram
The dad couldn’t be more right. Both parents deserve to be together for those early days. Why does society expect dads to snap back to their normal routines?
In Ireland, fathers can take two weeks of paid paternity leave, but is that really enough? Fatherhood isn’t like some two-week holiday to Spain, it’s an entirely new role that takes a lot of getting used to.
Employers do not have to pay employees who are on paternity leave so many dads have no choice but to return to work. Surely it is time for a well-overdue change, right?
