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Last week, Twitter’s new CEO, Parag Agrawal hit the headlines after it was reported that he will be taking a “few weeks” off for paternity leave following the birth of his second child.
According to the Guardian, Agrawal become CEO of the social media firm in November when its Co-Founder, Jack Dorsey, stepped down.
‘It’s a personal decision’
In a statement shared with HR Grapevine, a Twitter Spokesperson said: “At Twitter, we encourage and fully support employees taking parental leave in whatever way works best for each person. It’s a personal decision and we created a parental leave programme (supporting up to 20 weeks of flexible leave) that is customizable for that reason.
“We have a vibrant community of @twitterparents at the company, of which Parag is the executive sponsor. Parag and his wife are expecting another child soon and they’re excited about the new addition to their family.
“Parag will be taking a few weeks to be with family when the baby is born. He plans on being connected with the executive team throughout, which is what works best for him, his wife, and the company,” the spokesperson added.
‘Leading the way’
The news of Agrawal’s decision has been praised by others, including the Chief Finance Officer at Twitter, Ned Segal who thanked him for “leading by example”.
Thank you @paraga for leading by example and taking paternity leave. I wish leaders did this when I was early in my career and becoming a father. We have 7500 people @twitter who have your back! https://t.co/MzDEtwCxOL
— Ned Segal (@nedsegal) February 16, 2022
Others, including Brenden Lee from Twitter’s corporate communications department, took to LinkedIn, writing: “Proud that Twitter and our CEO Parag Agrawal are leading the way here, ensuring ALL parents are able to take advantage of this most special time for their families.”
Statistics point towards a lack of paternity leave uptake
While it is encouraging to see Agrawal making this decision and balancing his commitments to both work and home life, it appears that its not always the norm in the corporate world.
For example, in the US – where Agrawal is based according to his LinkedIn profile – while 90% of fathers take some time off after the birth of a child, the majority take fewer than ten days away from the job, according to a report from the United States Department of Labor.
The lack of uptake appears to be similar across the pond in the UK too, with 2019 data collected from HMRC through freedom of information requests – and reported on by the Independent – suggesting that fewer than one in three new fathers take paternity leave.
Diversity & Equality expert weighs in
With the above stats in mind, it is clear that more work needs to be done to normalise men taking paternity leave.
Samantha Dickinson, Equality and Diversity Partner at solicitors firm Mayo Wynne Baxter, told HR Grapevine: “It is great that the taking of paternity leave is being normalised by high-profile individuals across the pond.”
Dickinson continued: “Hopefully [Agrawal’s decision] will encourage men to take more leave here but in the UK companies only have to pay £151 per week to employees taking paternity leave and until that is addressed, the reality is that many simply won’t be able to afford to take time off.”
Normalising paternity leave & closing the gender pay gap
The Equality and Diversity Partner went on to explain that, in order to look seriously at removing gender bias in the workplace, employers should look to the different parental leave models some countries in Europe offer.
One of these with more generous offerings, according to the expert, is Iceland. According to Work.Iceland.is, each parent receives six months of leave, with one month transferable between the parents.
Dickinson explained that employers could also look to Sweden “where both parents can divide 480 days of leave between themselves with 90 days off paid at 80 per cent of their regular salary”.
Additionally, male employees in Sweden also engage in the Swedish parental model dubbed ‘Latte Dads’. HR Grapevine previously reported that many Swedish fathers take substantial leave to raise their children, enabling the mothers to return to work and focus on their careers.
Dickinson went on to say: “While parents here can take shared parental leave (SPL), effectively splitting between them up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of statutory pay, the take up of SPL is extremely low – around two per cent.
“Many men report that their reluctance to take leave stems from outdated gendered views on parenting which brings us full circle to the importance of high-profile men normalising the taking of paternity leave.
“In these discussions we have to remember that men still tend to be the main breadwinner in most households – despite the Equal Pay Act being fifty years old – so financially it makes sense for them to stay at work.
“If companies are serious about equality, addressing any gender pay gap has to be a priority,” she concluded.
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