Stay-home Israeli dads

February 3, 2011 - 11:19 AM by David

Israeli men may have the well-deserved reputation for being aggressive macho chauvinists, but things may be changing.

In a study conducted ahead of the annual Family Day on Friday (the Israeli day instead of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day), results showed that 70% of Israeli men would be willing to take paternity leave instead of their spouses.

Conducted by the Women’s Budget Forum, a non-profit umbrella organization uniting some 20 women’s and human rights groups, the study also showed that 20% were ready o take leave from work for an extended period of up to three months in order to care for their newborn infants.

According to the Jerusalem Post report on the study, 40% of the men said the main barrier stopping them from staying home with their children was a fear of being fired from their jobs. Only 15.7% of those questioned said that staying home with a baby was the role of a mother only.

In recent years, many European countries have begun to implement paternity leave laws that run in addition to the time allocated to mothers. Usually during this period, the fathers are entitled to benefits for staying home with the child, in some places it’s 100% of their salary.

The Women’s Budget forum is currently in the process of drafting legislation that will allow fathers to take time off to be with their babies, in addition to the 14 weeks already mandated for women. Currently, the Paternity Leave Law, passed in 2007, allows fathers to take up to six weeks of leave – six weeks after the child’s birth. If a father decides to take the leave, the mother must cut short her maternity leave. According to National Insurance Institute statistics only a very small percentage of men have taken advantage of the Paternity Leave Law since it was passed four years ago.

As any parent knows, going off to work is much easier than being at home with a new born. So, while Israeli fathers may still be chauvinists, they’re not stupid.

On the other hand, being home during a baby’s first few months can be magical. When my second daughter was born, I was working in the evening, and was her primary care giver from the age of three to 18 months. I loved it, and we still have a special bond today as a result.

So fathers, practice your diaper changing and kitchen cleaning skills. Your time is coming.

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