June 23, 2003

More firms are offering paternity leave
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 9:55 AM -

This is a trend I like, more firms are offering paid paternity leave to new fathers.

Currently, about 13 percent of companies with more than 100 employees offer [paternity leave], up from just a handful 10 years ago, according to the Families and Work Institute in New York. ''We are seeing more young men who are actively parenting,'' said Kathie Lingle, national work-life director for KPMG LLP, an accounting and tax services firm based in Montvale, N.J. ''There has been a general societal shift. They want to be involved.''

Paternity leave is not an immediate issue for me, but may be in the next few years. I hope all businesses will offer this benefit by then.

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