Paternal Leave Practices Among a Representative Sample of Recent Fathers in Georgia: 2018-2019

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Workplace Studies

Background:

• Paternity leave is associated with numerous benefits for fathers, mothers, and children.
• Workplace leave policies significantly impact parental well-being and infant development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess paternal leave-taking practices among fathers with new infants.
• To identify factors associated with fathers taking workplace leave.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study using data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System for Dads in Georgia.
• Surveyed fathers 2–6 months after infant birth (October 2018–July 2019).
• Employed fathers' leave-taking and duration analyzed using bivariate and multivariable statistics.

Main Results:

• 73% of employed fathers took some form of leave (paid or unpaid); 53% had some paid leave.
• 36% took ≥2 weeks of leave, compared to 64% taking <2 weeks or no leave.
• Fathers taking ≥2 weeks of leave were more likely to have paid leave (92% vs. 31%). College-educated fathers were twice as likely to take ≥2 weeks of leave.

Conclusions:

• Paternity leave uptake remains suboptimal, with most fathers taking less than two weeks.
• Barriers such as financial constraints and work demands limit leave duration.
• Increasing the availability of paid paternity leave is crucial for supporting fathers and new families.