Equality in the Cards: Celebrating Fathers

 

UCLA's WORLD Policy Analysis Center launched a Father's Day-themed companion website with a unique line of e-greeting cards that highlight gender inequality experienced by fathers across the world.

WORLD Map - Is paid leave available for both parents of infants?

Each greeting contains research-backed information, such as:

• Fewer than half of the world's countries provide paid leave to fathers, with some lasting no more than a few days.
• Only 60 countries provide paid leave specifically for parents to care for their children during an illness, while another five countries restrict paid leave to mothers.
• While 96% of countries provide paid leave to new mothers, only 49% extend it to fathers, reinforcing the idea that caring for a new baby is solely a woman's responsibility.

 View WORLD's Father's Day cards

On June 15, 2015, The Huffington Post published "A Holiday Is Nice -- But What Fathers Really Need is Paid Leave," an opinion piece co-authored by Dr. Jody Heymann, founding director of the WORLD Policy Analysis Center and dean of the Fielding School of Public Health and Aleta Sprague, legal analyst at the WORLD Policy Analysis Center.

The article addresses the importance of paid paternity leave, which nearly 100 countries fail to provide, despite research that shows benefits to family wellbeing and economic health.

View the article on The Huffington Post