Men who spend a few weeks at home after the birth of a child devote more time to their wives, to their children, and to the kitchen stove than they would have otherwise. Plus, this effect lasts–are you ready for it?–for the rest of their lives. Research in Norway has shown that men who take paternity leave are then 50% more likely to share laundry duty with their wives.44 Canadian research shows that they’ll spend more time on domestic chores and childcare.45 Paternity leave is a Trojan horse with the potential to truly turn the tide in the struggle for gender equality.
