With our first child, my husband was able to take one month of paid leave. Among other benefits, this was critical to establishing breastfeeding, which was a challenge at first. I'm grateful for the time we had, but wish that he had been able to take the same 12 weeks I was able to take. Equitable, gender-neutral paid leave is critical to laying the foundation for a fair division of labor between parents; it sets the stage for many years to come.Unfortunately, my husband's new job provides no paid leave in the first year of employment, so when our second baby arrives in September, he will have very little time to be with our growing family.
