Stay-at-Home Dads

It exists also here for both parents since a man sued the state to have the same rights than his wife, but it cannot last so long. It is six months max for each parent for the first baby, and one year max for the following children. The indemnity is a bit better (80%), however at the end you are not sure to do again the same job in the same place, our law saying that the company has to give you "the same or an equivalent job" when you are back. Both parents have also rights to 11 business days to take care of their child at 100% wages before a baby has 4 months. These 11 days are generally taken by both parents, but it is rare when a man choose to be a stay-at-home dad during 6/12 months.

I'm not sure how common it is here in Canada. I know that they offer parental leave for dads as well, although it's not as long as it is the mat leave for moms. I do think that some dads chose to stay home, while the moms go back to work, which to be honest, is perfectly fine. If that's what works then it shouldn't be an issue. Why should dads stay home with the kids? If the couple can make it work like that, then they should do it.

Shared parenting is not too unusual, but often parents work to do different shifts so they do not use day care. My daughter is a stay at home mom but my son in law takes care of them a lot. It sounds like Germany has some good options.

In the United States they pretty much screw us over. Dads get not leave for the most part and depending on the company the mom only get a few weeks without sacrificing something. I forget the exact amounts but my wife when we had our baby could only stay at home like 8 weeks I think and part of that she had to use sick time to cover the loss of income. I always heard that European Countries were much better.

oh wow! I am not sure but I think we only get 6 weeks of maternity leave. I don't think we even have maternity leave before the birth! I can't get pregnant so I am not really sure of what happens here in the US!

I think it is becoming more common now, but still not as supported by work places here in the UK compared to how it is for women.

I think that it's great that you have such flexibility and the possibility to do what is preferred and best for all of you, and that you have a wonderful system where you have help for a parent to stay with the child (either parent) without both parents having no choice, or feeling obliged, but to return to work and pay for childcare. In the UK, we can get help (I think it's up to 70% of costs, depending on income) to pay for childcare but the same financial help isn't offered to families who choose to care for the child themselves. I think maternity leave here can be up to 12 months taken either side of the pregnancy but it's statutory maternity pay (unless you have a generous employer) which I don't think is a lot. Dad's, I think, can have 2 weeks paternity and, I may be wrong, I don't think it has to be paid. Stay at home dads are not very common although it is becoming more common. I've known a couple of them myself. As I said, it's hard for a lot of families to have a stay at home parent at all but, for some, it is possible. Once I'm living with my boyfriend, he'll be the stay at home step-parent while I work. Although that's more due to circumstances than anything else - he can't work because of his disabilities, he's also much better at housework than I am so he'll be doing that while the kids are at school and I'm at work. :P :)

It's slightly unusual here too, but much more common than it used to be. I was what was called somewhat self-consciously, a "house-husband" for a time in the early '80s and it was definitely a 'thing to be wondered at' in the village where we lived. I enjoyed some notoriety (if that is the right word) as Secretary of the Play-Group Association. Unless your husband is very unusual, you shouldn't expect the house to be quite as neat and tidy as you might like - I speak from my own experience, of course, but I do believe that most men can't really see the dust along the skirtings quite as well as women. I could go on at length but I'll just say that I look back on my time as a house-husband with fondness and I think my children appreciated it as well. In those days there was no such thing as 'paternity benefit'. We lived on my wife's full-time income, which was slightly better than my full-time income + her part-time income.

I think it's awesome, but here only the mother gets paid leave, how long depends on medical needs, but usually a few weeks before and up to 2 months after. The father can have unpaid leave.

It is totally individualistic. Whatever suits one couple may not suit another.

Hello Stine Here, in Indian context women get paid leave for 6 months. They can arrange and decide when to take this leave - many take it quite late and stay home for next six months. There was some news that dads-to-be too would be eligible for some leave to assist and be around in the family with the newborn and the mom, but that is all I have about it for now.

Wow, that's a wonderful benefit indeed . At least your baby will grow under the care of your husband . It's a good arrangement , as long as when you get home , the dinner is ready .

When I was married and had kids with my now evil ex, we both worked. My now evil ex got a few months off from her boss. She wound up working at home. I also worked. After a few years she decided that she was leaving and taking the kids. But I know deep down she cheated and that had to be the reason. To this day, if she intended on heating, why bother having kids. She could have left and that would have been that. Some women are nuts. But while we were married, we both did equal duty.

Germany seems a wonderful, caring country, if this is how they take care of their citizens. Wish we had such working conditions everywhere.

You are very lucky and your hubby shouldering the responsibility of bringing up the new born seems an excellent idea. For a working woman it is difficult to maintain balance between family and work, specially when she gives birth to a baby. Discharging dual responsibility is an uphill task. You could go to work, as planned by you, if your hubby is fit enough to look after the new born. However, I feel that by nature what a mother could do for a baby, father may not be on the same footing. Mother feels more closer to baby because she has given birth to a baby and she bears the pain and complexities of pregnancy and delivery. Here in India a female employee could avail 135 days maternity leave who is working in a Government Department.

I think it's getting more common in the UK, but it's still not usual. Good luck with the baby.

I would be happy beeing a stay-at-home dad(With I had too), maybe not a "dad", but taking care of the house doings, It doesn't botter me at all. Not that I know how to do everything, but I would gladly learn everything I could.

wow, you've got a long maternity leave in your country. and your husband is a good man for him to stay with your baby.

I think that its a pretty good change especially to let baby and dad bond! Germany sounds like a neat place to live. Here in the U.S. you can suffer financially with or without baby and with both people working