To be a man is not easy. Both genders would have a reason to decide they are stressed the most. Though both genders have their functionality and responsibilities. And this should be well respected and appreciated.
Come to talk about pregnancy, there is a lot to discuss, it's not an easy period for both genders. Though to some parts the stress and pains are much clearer, to some it's not. As for the male gender, you can’t have anything to show about the stress you underwent during the pregnancy period with your spouse. But it's more obvious in females.
This is because they have to carry the infant for months, the inconvenience, and many other things. They are also responsible for labor too. And this is surely one big and fatal experience on its own. Then they would still have to breastfeed and nurture the baby for years after. All of that is what adds up to make it so stressful on the ladies' side.
So as for that, women are given maternity leave at work so they can have more time to recover and gain their health. This is indeed well deserved. They need much more time to recover from the labor pain they passed through and also have time to care for their child.
The question now is, should men be given leave as well?
On my end, I would agree with the fact that men should also take some leave. This is because both genders contributed to the child's upbringing. However, women have theirs more obvious. But men also deserve some leave too.
I have experienced my mum during her pregnancy period and also some of my aunts too. I knew what their husbands passed through. Though they have to go to work every day, provide and cater to the needs of the family.
Apart from that, he still has to attend to his wife's personal needs. And some women can be so demanding when it comes to pregnancy pampering. Some won't even want to stand on their own. Some would demand unplanned food in the middle of the night and many other demands where the closest person to attend to all of these needs are their husbands.
After the child is born, pending the time the mother is also undergoing recovery she won’t be able to do as much as expected, except for the strong ones among them. And we all have our different nature and the way we react. So the husband will still be responsible for supporting his partner for some time till she gains full recovery.
If women are given 6 months of maternity leave then I think men also deserve about 3 months of paternity leave too. It's not really for them to rest, but to assist their partners as much as possible.
This is my response to the HIVE LEARNERS weekly prompt in hive learners community for the Week 127 Edition 3 and the topic to be discussed is PATERNITY LEAVE
