This House Would Oblige Paternity Leave Where It

Motion :
Is Available.

(+) GOVERNMENT-SIDE
Background : We see right now in the society that the expectations of earnings used to fall on
men, and child-bearing on women. Why the role of both parents are different in the family
when actually these two are working together and have an equal right within their family? In
many countries, mothers have a legal right to maternity. Let’s see Ireland, female employees
in Ireland, no matter how long they have been working, are entitled to take maternity leave for
at least two weeks before the baby’s due date, and four weeks after the baby’s born. India,
Cambodia, Laos, Korea, and Japan also offer around three months paid maternity leave, and
Australia began a paid maternity leave programme in 2011. How about fathers? In 2013
Finland oblige men to take 54 days of paid leave to spend with his child. In Australia, a similar
law also gives new fathers two weeks off to bond. And there are some countries also provide
paternity leave, with pay. Such as Sweden, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Switzerland and Indonesia.
And Czech Republic has the longest parental leave programme, lasting until the children are
2-3 years old and can be taken by either parents (All statistics from the International Labour
Organisation). Now we see that some nations start to concern about the equality of the parent’s
right over their children. But we see that there is still some flaws in the status quo that not all
nations provide this parental leave, especially paternity leave, let’s take a look at US. In US,
companies aren't required to offer paternity leave, that is hardly surprising because while other
countries are expanding their policies to include men, US is definitely on the last place. This is
indicating that the inequality are still there, that mothers are often expected to be better parents,
and the burden of childcare is more likely to fall on women. We see that the word ‘parents’ are
not refer to women only. This act of feminism start to harming the status quo, by not giving the
male employee their right to take paternity leave means that we are limiting their right and role
as a father, also underestimating the role of father in the family and it’s like indirectly saying
that the father has less responsibility regarding their children’s care and so we can simply give
all the burden to women.

Definition :
This House = United States, why we chose US was because employers in US are not legally
obliged to grant male employees special paternity leave (either paid or unpaid) following the
birth of their child. According to this status quo we believe that for the sake of equality and
removing the gap between male and female parents, also to remove an act of feminism and to
stop the discrimination between gender, we would like to propose this motion to US. Because
we believe since women can have maternity leave, so does men. We see that it is justifiable to
propose this motion to US since US is a nation with big proponents of rights and freedoms, a
democratic nation with an openminded society, also a developed nation with an outstanding
economic growth. So we believe that by proposing this motion on US it it acceptable and
justifiable enough, it wouldn’t give any burden to the the companies, the companies wouldn’t
get bankrupt and it wont impact to the other workers that doesn’t have children.
Would oblige paternity leave = means to grant male employees their right to take a leave due
to children’s born with a paid. It is compulsory to all men that is currently having a child.
Where it is available = means that it is only applied when it is needed. Only the father with a
wife that is going to have a labor within a week that can take this paternity leave. Those who
don’t have children are not oblige to take this.
Mechanism :
The proposal will run by the ministry of labour in all states of US, by adding the obligation
within the local regulation policy. The Government also will decrease the company’s tax to
help the company compensate the workers and paid for the paternity leave, so both companies
and the government should be in a synergy within this paternity leave policy in order to
minimalize the chance of bankrupty by the small companies. This policy is oblige to all men
that is currently having a child, no matter how long they have been working into companies
the company should grant them a right to take a paternity leave, and they are still paid for a
half of their actual salary as the compensation and with the maximum leaving for a week before
the baby’s due date and 6 weeks after the baby’s born. Why is it 6 months? Because under our
analysist, the father’s ideal time for leaving is the day before the baby’s due date, and after the
mother’s recover from her labour (which will takes up to a month in case that the mother’s
giving birth by C-Section).
Urgency:
We believe as how it was written in the status quo that right now every nations start to concern
on expanding their policies to include men, every parents were hoping to get an equal treatment
in their workplace and for a better policies in the parenting world, we believe that it is urgent
to do so before the massive society demonstration occur. We need to take a pro-active action
as soon as possible, because US have not start it yet for decades, now is exactly the right time
to propose.
Goals/TEAMLINE: Obligate parents to take equal leave would emphasise the fact that
parenthood is a joint enterprise between the two parents, both of whom are equally important.
It will leads to better decisions about childcare. Also to remove the gap-between gender, and
to equalize the society’s right. Because we see equal society as equivalent to a sustainable
society.

ARGUMENT :
1. A: Children will benefit from having two involved caregivers.
We believe that the role of both parents are very important especially for the
children’s growth which it will help them develop meaningful relationships with
both parents. Parents who care for children immediately after their birth when they
at their most dependent and vulnerable are likely to develop stronger emotional
bonds with that child. Having close relationships with two parents enhances a
child’s development, providing different perspectives and role models. A child
needs to see their Dad not just as a working role model but also a moral role model.
 Secondly, reducing the likelihood of male economic dominance within the home
impacts on the way that children perceive gender roles as they grow up. This is
actually create a better mindset to the children.
Studies show that children who witness domestic violence at a young age are more
likely to be the perpetrators of domestic violence as adults: this suggests that the
relationship between a child’s parents affects their relations with the other gender
in adulthood. If more children grow up in homes where their parents view each
other as equals, this will increase their expectations of equality within society as a
whole, in turn making society more equal.

2. A: Paternity leave become a very effective option because it gives closer

relationship between father and the child and it actually reduces the chance of
divorce later.
If we are not give the fathers their right to take paternity leave, the father can’t get
close to their child since the early age, and under that logic our analysis fall upon
the conclusion that later on if the parents separate, judges are more likely to place
children with their mother instead, since the mother have a pretty big role within
the children since the early age, more than the father. So by allowing the father to
take a paternity leave, it will benefit the father and get the father an equal treatment
in the eyes of the law, the judges will be even more objective to see things by
consider the father’s role in the family that also have a big impact. And this paternity
leave will also reduces the chance of divorce because the men will bond the chemistry
with her wife by help her adjusting with her new role of being a mother, also the man
are still there to help support the family’s financial by the salary the got from this
paid paternity leave, so this is actually not harming anybody else.

3. A: Forcing equal maternity and paternity leave will improve society as a whole.
Because we see equal society as equivalent to a sustainable society.
Under the status quo, there is a persistent inequality between men and women in
the workplace. Young women are often perceived by employers to be a risk: there
is a serious possibility that they will become pregnant and take long periods of time
off work. When choosing between men and women with equal skills, employers
have an incentive to choose the man. The consequence of this is that women,
whether they wish to have children or not, find it harder to secure employment or
promotion, and earn less as a result. Unfortunately, this inequality within the
workplace spreads to the household. The fact that women earn less means not only
that they are more likely to give up their career to care for children, but also that
they are also more likely to be the victim of breadwinner dominance: men can
legitimately claim that they earn more money and so should have a greater say in
decisions about their choice in the household. This inequality in both the workplace
and the home affects the way that women perceive themselves and are perceived in
society as a whole. Forcing men and women to take equal maternity and paternity
leave prevents employers from identifying one gender as a risk, removing the
incentive to employ men ahead of women. This leads to greater equality within the
workplace, reduces inequality within the home and the dominance, and improves
equality between the genders in society as a whole.
4. A: It still helps the family to support the finance even without limiting the right of
the father to take a good care of his children.
This paternity leave is the best option to actually help balancing work and family
obligations for everyone. Paid paternity leave may feel like an unexpected gift, the
biggest beneficiaries aren’t men, or even babies. In the long run, the true
beneficiaries of paternity leave are women, and the companies and nations that
benefit when women advance. In October, the World Economic Forum released its
latest global gender-gap report, showing that countries with the strongest economies
are those that have found ways to close the gender pay gap.

5. A: It won’t get the companies bankrupt and discriminate the other workers (that
don’t have children yet).
Those who are still don’t have children are still able to work and get their salary,
the money that the workers who leave for paternity leave get has nothing to do with
the other workers’s allocation who are still work for the company. 6 weeks period
of time won’t significantly affected the company’s budget, furthermore, the paid
leaving that the fathers can get is only a half of their actual salary which comes in
form of compensation rather than a salary, so this is not actually a ‘reward for their
hardwork to the company’ but more likely a ‘support’ that is given from the
company to help their family’s financial regarding their new baby borns. US is a
developed country with a stable economic growth this is why we believe that it is
justifiable to propose this to US, since it certainly won’t affect their economic
growth. Government has also give some aid to every households to support their
financial which comes from the their tax, and according to our mechanism earlier
we would like to decrease the tax that is given to every companies in the US, in
order to make this policy run smoothly without the chance of bankrupty and the
difficulty in paying the leaving from every companies. Developing nation such as
Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia has also been a pioneer to obligate this paternity leave
and it is not affecting their economic development since the very first beginning,
eventhough they are only a developing nations with an income lower than US.
They’re succesfully managed to obligate this policy for the sake of equality and the
same treatment by the workplace and by the law, so we believe the better result will
also come from US.