Two very good friends of mine recently found themselves in a quandary. While in the midst of adopting a new baby boy, the two were deciding who would initially stay home with the baby for the first few weeks to provide primary childcare. And then they hit a snag – my friend Dave decided that he wanted to stay home with their new son. The problem?  

Currently, the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act (MMLA) requires Massachusetts employers to provide no fewer than eight weeks of unpaid leave to eligible female employees for the purpose of giving birth or for adoption. Females only, not males.  Mothers, not fathers. 

To address this glaring gap in our law books, I filed the P.O.P. Leave Bill (Providing Opportunity for Parental Leave), which aims to provide primary caregivers with an equal opportunity to take the same amount of unpaid leave. 

States such as Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont have already enacted such legislation. Eight other states have similar initiatives in place. The P.O.P. Leave Bill would strengthen families across the Commonwealth by allowing more access to state parental leave for both parents.

Having both parents involved in child rearing has some obvious, and some perhaps not-so-obvious, benefits for the child, for the family, and for the father himself. Allowing a father the benefit of parental leave encourages a more active role in raising a healthy, well-adjusted child.

Popular culture and general opinion now encourage the idea that parents should share equally in raising their children. While approaches to child care have changed dramatically in the past 30 years, allowing fathers a greater share in parenting duties, laws to support this change have not kept pace.  

Many fathers are forced to use vacation time, sick leave and personal days in order to care for a newborn child. While this may allow a father to take the essential time off, it is not necessarily the best solution. My proposed legislation bears no cost to businesses, as it involves unpaid leaves. 

Some companies recognize that allowing fathers time off for the birth of a child may actually keep employees productive and promote loyalty to the company. The birth of one’s baby is a singularly exciting time for a new father, and he should be allowed to experience this time without suffering repercussions in the workplace.  

Fathers who choose to take a leave for the birth or adoption of a child often express the satisfaction they feel at being closely involved in the care of their new baby. Becoming involved in their children’s lives is important for fathers because they help to teach children values and lessons in problem solving. Fathers also serve as role models in their children’s lives, and affect how well they relate to peers and to adults outside the home. According to Boston College psychology professor Rebekah Levine Coley, “Greater involvement from fathers may help adolescents develop self-control and self-competence, and may decrease the opportunities adolescents have to engage in problem behaviors.”  

Passage of the P.O.P Leave Bill would grant fathers the opportunity to spend more time with their infants. This would allow each new father not only to care for his newborn child but also to begin building a life-long, positive relationship from day one.