Throughout Florida, many adult couples are excitedly awaiting new arrivals to their families. While this is an exciting time, it can also be difficult for many working fathers. At this time, there is no nationwide paid leave program for new dads. With that said, a 2021 study shows that the majority of people support paid paternity leave.
Where the data in this study came from
In their study, researchers from both Ball State University and The Ohio State University collected data from over 35,000 individuals. The participants in this study resided in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Finland, China, and other wealthy countries.
When asked about whether or not they supported paid paternity leave, 86% of participants supported it. After being asked how long paid paternity leave should be, the average duration chosen by survey respondents was 13 months. Many participants also favored having the government foot the bill for paid family leave.
Only a few states allow paid family leave
Currently, only six states have a paid family leave program in place. These states are Washington, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and California. Washington, D.C., also has a program for paid family leave. While paternity leave is beneficial for new parents, some people in states with paid family leave programs report feeling pressured to come back to work before their break is officially over.
The majority of survey participants felt that their governments should pay for paternity leave. At this time, most states have no official paid family leave program in place.