'One week is a joke': New father’s Reddit post sparks debate on paternity leave norms

The post prompted a strong response from other Reddit users, many of whom criticised the short duration of leave and shared similar experiences.

A Reddit post by a new father has triggered a wider online discussion on paternity leave policies, after he revealed that his employer restricted his time off to just one week following the birth of his child.

In the post, which has received significant attention, the man said his organisation officially offers one month of paternity leave. However, because he works on a client-facing role, the duration was reduced to seven days to align with the client’s schedule.

“One week of paternity leave is a joke. I’m beyond frustrated,” the caption of the post read.

The man explained that much of the limited leave was consumed by hospital admission, post-delivery care, and discharge procedures, leaving little time to adjust to life at home with a newborn.

“By the time you’re actually home with your newborn, trying to understand feeds, sleep, recovery, and just learning how to be parents, your leave is basically over,” he wrote.

He also described what he viewed as a double standard at the workplace. According to the post, colleagues were frequently able to take extended time off for holidays, personal matters, or rest, often without detailed justification. In contrast, his request for paternity leave was tightly restricted, despite advance notice to his team.

“I remember someone was venting about 2 weeks of paternity leave, and I thought, Okay, my org is better — we offer one month. Turns out that’s just on paper,” he added.

The man emphasised that paternity leave should not be treated as a discretionary benefit or a form of leisure.

“This is basic humanity,” he wrote.

The post prompted a strong response from other Reddit users, many of whom criticised the short duration of leave and shared similar experiences.

“This is so frustrating to see paternity leave be basically nothing,” one user commented.

Another wrote, “Guess how many days of paternity leave my company gives. 0”.

A third user reacted with disbelief, saying, “No way, I thought this would be illegal.”

Another commenter argued that a longer break was essential for new parents. “At least 3 weeks are needed. I remember in a WITCH company it was 2 weeks. Anything below that is nuts,” the user wrote.