Mark Casci: Why equal childcare rights are essential in every sense

I have absolutely no shame in saying that I found the announcement on Friday that insurance giant Aviva was to become the first firm to offer equal paternity pay to its staff to be absolutely shocking.
Shot of a father playing with his daughterShot of a father playing with his daughter
Shot of a father playing with his daughter

In the winter of 2017, the fact that the insurance giant will offer 26 weeks of full pay to its staff, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or how they became pregnant, to be so pioneering is a sad indictment on the corporate sensibilities of Great Britain.

Announcing the change, Sarah Morris at Aviva said it was time “to create a level playing field for men and women who want to take time out from their career to spend with their family”.

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I have huge amounts of respect for Aviva’s stand. I applaud them and I hope to see many more businesses follow suit and implement similar measures.

Aviva is to offer all parents full paternity pay.Aviva is to offer all parents full paternity pay.
Aviva is to offer all parents full paternity pay.

However, as is true for all aspects of instituting equality the real battle lies in eradicating it in our hearts and minds rather than in company guidelines.

A good friend of mine, accomplished in his field (and a male), was recently told by his line manager upon requesting to reduce his hours to four days a week to play a greater role in his family’s childcare that such a move would be ‘career limiting’.

I also know many of my male friends were, upon telling their boss they wanted to take more than the statutory two weeks of paternity leave, greeted with looks of bewilderment.

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Perhaps the route to more progressive laws in this regard lies, as is so often the case, in making the business case, rather than the social case.

CREDIT - Jonathan Pow / rossparry.co.uk - Aviva.CREDIT - Jonathan Pow / rossparry.co.uk - Aviva.
CREDIT - Jonathan Pow / rossparry.co.uk - Aviva.

Equal rights for parents when it comes to rearing the child is not uncharted territory and something which is well-entrenched around the world.

According to the World Economic Forum, Britain is ranked very low in terms of paid paternity leave it offers it workers.

For example, male employees in Japan and South Korea can expect 52 weeks on full pay. Closer to home, France, Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium offer between 24 and 27 weeks full pay for new fathers.

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And in a week when productivity is once again under the microscope it is worth recording that all of the above nations rank amongst the top ten most productive on a global basis.

Contrary to some thinking most men would rather be at home with their kids rather than playing golf.Contrary to some thinking most men would rather be at home with their kids rather than playing golf.
Contrary to some thinking most men would rather be at home with their kids rather than playing golf.

Clearly, there are other contributory factors in this regard. America, rated the fifth most productive nation globally, offers no paid paternity leave. But the relationship remains worthy of exploration at the very least, surely?

Over the course of my career I have many experiences which have made me a better journalist and manager but all pale into insignificance compared to the birth of my daughter, for reasons too numerous to mention.

It has given me strength and clarity of thought I never thought I would posses.

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Which is why I was so incensed by an article in the Observer over the weekend in which its author Vanessa Thorpe somewhat pompously said the real route to encouraging men to take greater paternity leave was to make the process more competitive. Apparently, we men are so insecure that we would find the act of rearing a child more attractive were it given the same status as a triathlon or a round of golf!

Aviva is to offer all parents full paternity pay.Aviva is to offer all parents full paternity pay.
Aviva is to offer all parents full paternity pay.

I know of very few male friends and colleagues who do not play an active role in the care of their child. Most would like to do more but fear the ‘career limiting’ tag which has somehow become socially acceptable only for women.

I have a wonderful job which I cherish dearly but it plays a distant second to the job I have alongside my wife in rearing our daughter. We both have busy careers but, thanks to our employers and teams, we can make a great deal of time for our family.

Parenthood is the most important job anyone ever has and, if we cannot ensure equal rights in caring for our most precious natural resource – the next generation – then we are failing at business, and as a society.