Why paternity leave benefits everyone | The Way We Work, a TED series

- I remember the day:

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

我還記得那一天。

my wife was three months pregnant,

我老婆懷有三個月的身孕，

and I knew that I wanted to take time off.

我知道我想要休假。

But when I walked in to ask my boss,

但，當我去問老闆時，

I was so nervous.

我好緊張。

I was about to ask for seven months of paternity leave,

我打算向他請七個月的陪產假，

and I just didn't know how my boss would react to that.

我真不知道我老闆會有什麼反應。

(machine whirs) (playful music)

〔我們工作的方式〕

(drawer thuds)

Like most men in Japan,

和大多數日本男性一樣，

I grew up being told that masculinity

大家都告訴我男子氣概 應該要有某種特定的樣子。

is supposed to look a certain way.

You're supposed to be stoic and strong,

你應該要堅忍、強壯、

dominant and in control,

有主導及掌控權；掙錢養家。

the breadwinner for your family.

But when I met my wife, she challenged me on that.

但我認識我太太時， 她挑戰了我的這個想法。

She pushed me on thinking

她促使我不再認為 約會都應該由男方買單，

that men should always pay for dates,

on assuming that women should always do the childcare.

不再假設女人都應該負責照顧孩子。

Japan offers both mothers and fathers,

日本提供父親及母親 十二個月的有薪育嬰假。

12 months of paid parental leave.

It's been ranked number one in the world

在陪產假的期長和補償金 方面，日本排名世界第一。

in terms of length and compensation for paternity leave.

But here's the crazy thing:

但，不可思議的是，

In 2020, (footsteps patter)

2020 年，

only about 7% of fathers took it.

只有約 7% 的父親請了陪產假。

And of that 7%, 3/4 took a leave of two weeks or less.

在那 7% 當中，

四分之三的人只請了 兩週或更短的假。

With pressure at work,

因為工作上的壓力，

most Japanese men just aren't at home

在這重要的時期， 大部分日本男性都不在家。

during this pivotal time.

And that's a shame,

那很可惜，

because paternity leave, it benefits everyone.

因為陪產假——

對每個人都有益。

Here is why normalizing it is so important:

讓陪產假正常化 相當重要，原因如下。

I believe deeply in gender equality.

我深信性別平等。

I took my wife's last name,

我冠了妻姓，

and even wrote a book about it.

甚至還為此寫了本書，

And still, I was terrified asking for paternity leave.

但，去請陪產假還是讓我挫得要死。

I'd heard of bosses denying the request,

我曾聽過老闆拒絕這類請求，

or questioning their employee's masculinity.

或是質疑其員工的男子氣概。

I was scared that, in asking for time off,

我很怕

若我請假，

I might be replaced or left behind.

我可能會被取代或丟下。

But my boss, he accepted my request right away,

但我老闆——

他立刻就接受了我的請求，

which made me feel so valued,

讓我感到備受重視，

而他讓我把注意力 放在最重要的地方：

and it let me focus on what was most important:

my family. (gentle piano music)

我的家庭。

能每天看到剛出生的兒子， 那喜悅是無法言喻的。

I can't describe how much joy I got

seeing my newborn son each day.

I especially loved my early morning shift with him,

我特別喜歡在早班照顧他，

so his mom could sleep in.

讓他媽媽能好好睡覺。

When he was a newborn, (birds chirping)

當他還是新生兒時，

we'd just cuddle on the couch.

我們就在沙發上抱著彼此，

等他長大一點了，

And when he got a little bigger,

he became my best workout buddy,

他成了我最棒的健身夥伴，

as a cheerleader during my morning runs,

我晨跑時，他就在 嬰兒車裡當啦啦隊長，

in his stroller. (stroller wheels rattle)

Or, as a human dumbbell for squats and biceps curls.

我做深蹲或二頭彎舉時， 他則是我的人肉啞鈴。

I feel so close to my son now.

我現在覺得兒子非常親近。

And it's not just me;

且不只有我是這樣。

men who take paternity leave experience a stronger bond

請陪產假的男性會感覺到 與寶寶有更緊密的連結。

with their babies.

Research shows that the longer the paternity leave,

研究顯示，陪產假越長，

the more engaged the father is

在孩子生命的前幾年中， 爸爸的參與度機越高。

in the first few years of a child's life.

I was shocked to learn that over half

有件事讓我很震驚： 美國的父親有一半以上都說

of all US fathers report feeling dissatisfied

他們不滿意自己花在 陪小孩上的時數。

with the amount of time they spend with their children.

Paternity leave is a chance to change that.

陪產假是改善這個狀況的契機。

My relationship with my wife also deepened on my leave.

在我休假期間，我與 太太的感情也深化了。

We went on a walk together every day,

每天我們都會一起出去散步，

and I became a better cook and cleaner

而我也更擅長煮飯和清掃，因為

because I was able to spend more time

因為我能花更多時間去做家務事，

on household duties, (contents glub)

which made her happy. (steam hisses)

這讓她很開心。

In a McKinsey & Company survey,

在一項麥肯錫的調查中，

90% of fathers who took paternity leave

請陪產假的父親有 90% 都表示

say it improved their relationship, too.

他們的關係亦有所改善。

This happens along a few different dimensions:

在幾個不同面向上 都可以看到這個現象。

First, because you gain a whole new respect

第一，因為你對於照顧孩子

和打理家務要做的事情 有了全新的敬意，

for what's involved in childcare and housework,

and it makes you step up and take on more.

這讓你更拼命，扛下更多事。

And by being home, you're providing emotional support.

且你待在家就是一種情感上的支持。

Statistics show (steam hisses)

統計資料顯示， 當母親的伴侶有參與，

that when a mother's partner is involved,

especially in the first few weeks after birth,

特別是在生產後的前幾週，

it reduces the risk of postpartum depression significantly.

就能顯著減少產後憂鬱症的風險。

But this is really just the start,

但這只是個開端，

because paternity leave is also good for business.

因為陪產假也對企業有益。

Paternity leave can have a profound impact

陪產假能深深影響 勞動力中的性別平等。

on gender equality in the workforce.

There is an inherent imbalance

若女性請育兒假，男人不請， 這現象本身就是一種不平衡。

if women take childcare leave, and men don't.

Working mothers are often juggling two full-time jobs,

職業媽媽經常得應付兩份全職工作：

one at work, and one at home. (keys clack)

在外和在家的工作。

Many don't return to the workforce

許多人無法返回勞動力，

or decide to take reduced roles.

或是決定扮演折合的角色。

(baby cries) By taking paternity leave,

藉由休陪產假，

(alarm clock rings)

men can give women more options,

男性可以給予女性更多選項

and even boost their ability to rise into leadership roles.

甚至提升她們晉升 至領導角色的能力。

A study in Sweden showed that for every month

有項瑞典研究顯示， 父親每請一個月的育嬰假，

of parental leave taken by the father,

the mother's earnings increased by approximately 7%.

母親的收入就會增加約 7%。

有一點很有趣，日本 有 90% 的女學生說

It's interesting to note that 90% of female students

in Japan say they'd want their future partner

她們希望未來的伴侶能請陪產假，

to take parental leave,

and nearly 80% of men entering the workforce here,

在日本進入勞動力的男性 有近 80%——

and I suspect in other countries too,

我猜在其他國家也一樣——

say they want to take paternity leave.

說他們想休陪產假。

For employers to have that open, inclusive culture

若雇主能有這種

尊重陪產假的開放、包容式文化，

where paternity leave is respected,

that can help companies attract and retain the best talent.

就能幫助公司吸引 並留住最優秀的人才。

Workers are increasingly choosing the companies

越來越多員工會根據 企業文化來選擇公司。

based on the culture.

This is a space where any company

在這個空間中，而任何公司 都可以推他們自己一把。

can give themselves a boost.

我回工作崗位已經有三個月了，

I've been back at my job for about three months now,

and I can already tell you, I feel so much more productive.

我就已經可以告訴你，

我感覺更有效率許多，且非常專心，

I'm very focused, (employees chatter)

and always looking for ways to be more efficient,

總是在找更有效率的方法，

so I can get home to my family.

讓我能早點回去陪家人。

I've heard this from many mothers coming back

我也聽過許多休完產假 返回工作的母親說一樣的話。

from maternity leave, too.

And studies confirm.

研究證實，

80% of companies that offer paid family leave

80% 有提供家事假的公司

report a positive impact on morale,

都發現士氣受到正面的影響，

and 70% notice a boost in productivity.

70% 的公司發現其生產力提高了。

It's a positive for any company.

對任何公司而言都是加分。

這就要帶到我的最後一個重點。

And that brings me to my final point:

Paternity leave, it's good for society.

陪產假——對社會有好處。

陪產假是我們能邁出的一大步，

Paternity leave is one of the big steps we can make

in giving partners the opportunity to share their work,

讓伴侶有機會把在外 和在家的工作分擔出來。

both at home and at work.

It's one of our best bets to bridge the gender gap, overall.

這是我們弭平整體 性別差距的良方之一。

Research shows that when that gender gap gets smaller,

研究顯示，當性別差距減少時，

people report higher life satisfaction.

大家對生活的滿意度就會越高。

(people cheer)

Iceland, Norway, and Finland rank top three

冰島、挪威，和芬蘭

在全球性別差距指數的 排行中排名前三，

in the Global Gender Gap Index,

and over 70% of fathers take paternity leave.

且有超過 70% 的父親會休陪產假。

而如果去看這幾個國家在 「世界快樂報告」中的排行，

And if you take a look at their ranking

in the World Happiness Report,

they're very, very high.

它們也名列前茅。

This might be a coincidence,

這或許是巧合，但……

but I don't think so.

我想不是。

That freedom to be yourself

能夠自由地做自己，在沒有 性別期望的前提下做選擇，

and make choices without gender expectations,

it feels really good.

感覺真的很好。

我們生活在父權社會中。

We live in a patriarchy, and what I've realized

我領悟到的是，

is that the same world that systematically favors men,

這個在體制上偏袒男性的世界，

it's also trapping us in a cage.

同時也把男性困在籠子中。

We need more countries to set up systems

我們需要有更多國家建立制度

that allow all parents to take paid childcare leave,

讓所有家長都能休有薪的育兒假。

to give everyone new options.

若要讓人人都能有新選項，

We need to build a culture

我們必須建立鼓勵並重視 男性扮演照顧者的文化，

that encourages and values men as caretakers,

because we can do it too.

因為我們也能勝任。

(gentle music)