The Equal Opportunities Commission is calling for increased paternity leave and pay:
The EOC…recommends increasing the level of Statutory Paternity Pay to 90% of earnings subject to a cap followed by an extension of paid paternity leave from two to four weeks, thus creating a 'Daddy Month' to be taken on a more flexible basis over the baby's first year.
This idea stinks on several levels.
1. It’s economically inefficient. Every penny a firm spends on an absent employee is a penny less to spend on investment or productive employees.
2. It’s inegalitarian. New fathers tend to much happier than average. Why should we redistribute money and leisure to them? Redistribution should go to the worst-off (measured in welfare), not the better off. Also, it’s discriminatory. Why should employers offer better terms to some employees than others? Why not pay spinster employees to look after their cats?
3. There’s a slight whiff of totalitarianism about it. Family life is coming to dominate spheres of activity – the workplace – in which it has no place.
Of course, the EOC will object that children who grow up in two-parent households turn out to be better members of society than those (like me) who didn’t. This is irrelevant. If someone unleashes a nasty little scrote onto society, they should be punished for doing so. They should not have money thrown at them in the hope that the scrote will turn out different. The fact that it’s expensive to bring up a child is also irrelevant. It’s expensive to run a Ferrari, so why not throw money at Ferrari-owners?
All that said, there might be a positive effect of this idea. If firms have to offer paid paternity leave, they might start to discriminate in favour of gay men. Knowing this, job applicants will turn up for interviews looking like Daffyd.
France already does this. Can't tell gay men from straight ones in France though. All dress well and smell nice.
Posted by: Katie | June 16, 2005 at 12:54 PM
Is it true that French men don't have balls, though? Gay men will soon be adopting or getting lesbians pregnant.
Posted by: Monjo | June 16, 2005 at 02:42 PM
If your arguments have force, would they not also tell against maternity leave, which is far more expensive, after all?
I agree with your point that people who are going to be good/bad parents will not be changed by a month or two here or there. Unfit dads will spend their paternity leave down the bookies. Dedicated dads will use their free time wisely to maximise their family's welfare.
Might we be better off deciding on a rate of time off per child and letting mother/father sort out how to divide it up among themselves?
Posted by: Dander | June 16, 2005 at 05:01 PM
If your arguments have force, would they not also tell against maternity leave, which is far more expensive, after all?
I agree with your point that people who are going to be good/bad parents will not be changed by a month or two here or there. Unfit dads will spend their paternity leave down the bookies. Dedicated dads will use their free time wisely to maximise their family's welfare.
Might we be better off deciding on a rate of time off per child and letting mother/father sort out how to divide it up among themselves?
Posted by: Dander | June 16, 2005 at 05:01 PM
Hey, there's a thought, Monjo's right, how do they define "paternity"? What about adoption and surrogacy? If you donate to a sperm bank and someone takes your "deposit", are you allowed paternity leave?
Posted by: Katie | June 16, 2005 at 05:41 PM
Let's not forget women donating eggs (or is it technically ovum?).
Dander: as for maternity leave I can't second-guess Chris's stance. However, we have to realise women 'choose' to have a child, so it seems morally wrong to me that they should then expect other workers to work harder so they can take 3,6,9,12 months off, and unfair on the employer to pay someone who has 0 Productivity.
What seems weird to me is the US whatsits say women should breastfeed for 6mths before weaning (which is another 6 mths) yet American women only get about an afternoon off work for maternity.
So that's my opinion.
Posted by: Monjo | June 17, 2005 at 01:12 PM