Sona Mitra’s Post

Men Can Champion Women's Careers by Taking Paternity Leave! During my recent talk at the Sterling Bank Momship Program, a fantastic question was asked by a man: how can men support women's growth at home and work? Here's a powerful strategy that often flies under the radar: take paternity leave! Paternity leave empowers fathers to be active caregivers from day one. This significantly reduces the burden on mothers, who often handle a larger share of childcare. With less burnout during maternity leave, moms can return to work feeling refreshed and ready to hit the ground running. Why is this crucial? Many moms are exhausted by maternity leave, making returning to work seem overwhelming. This, unfortunately, leads to a high number of women leaving the workforce after childbirth. A McKinsey & Company & study with Lean In found that over 25% of women in corporate America consider downshifting or leaving entirely. However, the study also revealed something incredible: when fathers take leave, mothers are more likely to return to work sooner and experience less career disruption. This translates to women retaining jobs and even narrowing the gender pay gap over time. But the benefits extend beyond career gains. The same McKinsey study found that 90% of dads who took leave reported a stronger relationship with their partners. One woman who participated in the study said, “I think I would have resented him if he had been at work and I would have had to do all of this alone,” To many women, It was less about dividing household tasks and more about providing emotional support and being present during early, challenging days of baby care. It's time to normalize paternity leave! More companies need to implement policies and a work culture that encourages fathers to take advantage of this crucial benefit. Kudos to those already leading the way in Nigeria, like public sector employees in Lagos and Enugu with their 2-week minimum (though we know there's room for improvement!). In essence, taking paternity leave is a win-win for families, companies, and gender equality. It's a simple yet powerful way men can be strong supporters of women's career growth, both at home and in the workplace. Does your company have a paternity leave policy? Please tell me about it in the comment section. Thank you!

As the halfway point of my maternity leave has come and gone, during international women’s month… it has me reflecting on a lot of things, and this article hit home. https://lnkd.in/gvX9-G_p A few points truly stood out to me: - For Women still in the workforce, their feelings about combining a career and motherhood have become even more pessimistic: 23% of mothers say they don’t think it’s possible to combine them (up from 17% in 2021). - The woman penalty in work is truly a motherhood penalty. According to Equal Rights Advocates, it takes four extra months more on average for a working mother to earn the same wages as a man, father or otherwise. - The millennial generation is the first generation in history in which women are more educated than men. This monumental shift changes the landscape for businesses and means that addressing the systemic challenges faced by working mothers is no longer a nice to have but a business imperative. And most importantly: - Nearly 50% of today’s working mothers are the primary breadwinner in their family earning 50% or more of their household income. Without addressing issues like the motherhood penalty, affordable childcare, parental leave, and creating flexible work options that enable working mothers to integrate their work and mothering responsibilities, The Great Resignation will undoubtedly continue, which will drive down the competitiveness of the United States. As companies create return to office policies citing culture, collaboration, and (unspoken) presenteism, (often times spearheaded by men who have the privilege and the paycheck to have a stay at home partner) women & mothers cannot fall into the background. In order to stay competitive, and not create a high turnover culture for some of their most tenured and experienced employees - along with maintaining gender parity at executive levels, companies *need* to do better. As does the US Government, but that’s a conversation for a different post. I’m thankful for the time off that my company has given me, as I know it’s better than the majority of organizations. And for my management & executive team who have been nothing but supportive as I transitioned out, and I know will be upon my return to work.

Taking parental leave is good for baby, for mom, for dad, for careers, for employers, for the workforce, for the economy, for the world over...you name it. Yet many countries don't provide for it and still more women than men take it, even when made equally available. Here's some facts, brass tacks, and "Why Paternity Leave Is a Boon to Men and Women Alike". https://lnkd.in/g7Z3aSNu Source: LinkedIn #PaternityLeave #PatLeave #MaternityLeave #ParentalLeave #retention

Statues, Slings, and the Business Case for Equal Parental Leave Last week, the campaign group The Dad Shift made headlines by tying baby slings to male statues across central London. Pregnant Then Screwed has run similar campaigns in the past. Their message? The UK has the worst paternity leave in Europe, with just two weeks of statutory pay. While some firms top up paternity benefits, most don't offer extended paid leave for fathers - a stark contrast to policies in other countries. Firms with the best parental leave policies provide equal benefits to all new parents. But the business case for this may not be obvious, especially for smaller, growing firms with tighter margins. Here's why equal parental leave is a strategic play, not a cost: ☑ Tap into the full talent pool.  Unequal parental leave perpetuates hiring biases against women, especially in smaller firms and in higher-paid roles. Without benefit parity, the increased cost of maternity pay continues to disadvantage female candidates. ☑ Retain talent. Addidat's data shows firms recruit and maintain women equally in lower paid roles but struggle to maintain gender parity as employees climb the ranks (over 16% drop off from lower quartile to upper quartile by pay). As companies grow, the true cost of losing top performers - from hiring replacements to lost institutional knowledge - can be crippling. By supporting all working parents, you'll reap the rewards in improved retention, engagement, and continuity with scale. ☑ Drive perpetual meaningful change. As with all diversity initiatives, meaningful change can only come from those who have power. Diversity initiatives often falter when those in power haven’t directly experienced the challenges that deep rooting inequality presents. Equalising leave helps leaders empathise with the realities of work-life balance, spurring investment in policies that support working parents, and delivering change and benefits for years to come. ☑ Reputational advantage from social impact. By equalising parental leave, fathers take on more of the mental load and logistics of childcare, decreasing the home life pressure on women that often sees mothers leave the workforce, or chose to remain in lower paid positions.  An equal parental leave policy is a clear indication to current and potential employees and clients that you are serious about equity in the workplace. At Addidat, we've implemented equal parental leave, knowing the challenges for a small business. But we believe in the long game. Investing in our team is critical, and as a female-led company, we champion how equal policies drive wider social change that benefits us all. See more pictures from the campaign and The Guardian coverage: https://lnkd.in/ecDBDc7X

Deloitte UK has taken a groundbreaking step by equalising parental leave, becoming the first of the Big Four accounting firms to offer fathers the same paternity pay as maternity pay for mothers. Starting January 1, 2025, all new parents at Deloitte will be entitled to 26 weeks of fully-paid family leave from day one of employment. This is a significant increase from the previous four weeks of full pay for paternity leave. This policy change is driven by new YouGov research commissioned by Deloitte, which highlights the importance of family leave in career decisions. The research found that 87% of employees consider family leave a major factor when choosing an employer, and 85% see it as crucial for staying with their current employer. Additionally, more than half of working mothers (54%) believe that increased parental leave for their partners would help them advance in their careers. Jackie Henry, Deloitte’s managing partner for people and purpose, emphasised the need for policies that support all parents in balancing work and family responsibilities. She stated, “Equalising paid parenting leave for all parents is an important step in improving gender equality and giving families the opportunity to share responsibility right from the early days of parenthood.” In addition to equalising parental leave, Deloitte is introducing other supportive measures. These include up to 12 weeks of additional paid leave for parents whose child requires neonatal care, five days of paid leave per year for carers, and paid time off for fertility treatment. https://lnkd.in/e9diM-Fe #ParentalLeave #GenderEquality #WorkingParents

While diversity, equity and inclusion is in the news, it's worth talking about Deloitte's latest announcement, offering equalized parental leave -- 26 weeks of full pay -- in the UK. That's a huge step up especially for men in the country, who have the worst paternity leave offer in Europe. By law, they are offered two weeks of leave and are offered less than the minimum wage during that time off. That might explain why a third of men didn't take any leave after their children are born: They might not be able to afford it. This can also have an indirect impact on entrenching gender roles at home, according to studies. While DEI programs are often confused (or actively misconstrued), efforts like this are a clear reflection of a plan to create a better working environment for staff, and to encourage them to join in the first place. According to polling by YouGov for Deloitte, 87% of employees say the parental leave policy is a major factor when they choose a role while 85% say it's a big reason why they choose to stay. As part of the news, Deloitte said it hoped the policy would also support the careers of working women, many of whom reported that they would be able to make more progress if their partners were able to offer more support at home. What's your company's parental leave offer?

🎉 Deloitte equalizes paid parental leave. 🎉 Deloitte UK, plans to equalize parental leave so that dads receive the same paternity pay as mothers do. The policy of 26 weeks of fully paid family leave for all new parents will go into effect on January 1, 2024, and will be effective from the first day. This is an increase from a previous four-week paternity leave. The Deloitte-commissioned study demonstrated the effect of unequal parental leave and inflexible work conditions on working women's career advancement. More than half of working women (54%) believe that if their partner took more parental leave, they could advance in their careers. 🔗 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gqBVrAxY #parentalleave #benefits #newnormal #data #analytics #insight #equality #Parentalleave

👶 You often see me advocating here for paid parental leave in the United States and I need to emphasize that it's not just for birthing parents. Offering leave for nonbirthing parents is crucial, enabling them to bond with their child, support their partner, and also positively impact how they show up when they return to work. 💜 In my personal experience, my husband's paternity leave improved our postpartum experience, enhanced his bond with our daughter, and shaped him into an incredible partner and parent. What would we do without you, Nick Kremchek?! "When nonbirthing partners take parental leave, it normalizes caregiving for everyone and begins to remove the motherhood penalty that women face. Recent research has found that when men return to work after paternity leave, they show greater empathy for working moms; report fewer sexist beliefs; and become stronger advocates for family-friendly policies" https://lnkd.in/eZDyXAmd #paidfamilyleave #parentalleave #paternityleave #maternityleave

The idea of a *completely equal parental leave* policy is something I’ve thought about (and talked about) for many years in various roles I’ve had. Implementing this policy at Addidat from Day 1 is something I’m incredibly proud of. Yes it will impact our cost base, yes it will mean statistically far more of the workforce take parental leave and yes it far exceeds what most global companies are offering, let alone SMEs like us. However it also means that from Day 1 I never even considered the increased ‘business risk’ of hiring women, from Day 1 I could explain to all male joiners that I want them to have the same opportunity to spend extended quality time with their children and from Day 1 it means we are building a business where we expect many of the team to take parental leave. We are building robust processes to cover parental leave, working on the assumption that ALL parents will then feel able and supported to return to work. It will just feel normal, equitable, fair. If that means we retain the incredibly talented team we are building at Addidat - the business case more than pays for itself.

Is this the push women need.....   #Deloitte just made a huge move by equalizing parental leave for both moms and dads. 👏🏾   But beyond the headlines, what does this really mean for working parents—and women in particular? Here’s what’s interesting:   Shared responsibilities: Finally, dads are being given the same time off as moms to take on caregiving duties. Does this help lighten the load for women? 💪🏾 Career retention: How many times have we seen women struggle to bounce back in their careers post-maternity leave? Will this change allow more women to stay on track with their goals? 📈 Creating balance: Could this finally be the tipping point for a more inclusive, balanced workplace? 👨🏾🍼👩🏾🍼   This feels like a step forward, but what do you think—does equal parental leave actually help drive true workplace equality, or is there more we need to do to keep momentum going? #Accounting #CPAs #Parenting #Growth