In my own household, / my mother had to choose / between a career / and raising three children- / a choice that left her unpaid / and underappreciated as a homemaker- / because there just wasn’t support for both paths.// The memory / of being in the city with my Dad / is a particularly meaningful / one since he was the sole breadwinner in our house, / and my brothers / and my time with him /was always limited / by how much he had to work.// And / we were an incredibly privileged family / —our hardships were the stuff / of other family’s dreams. // The deeper into the issue / of paid parental leave I go, / the clearer I see the connection / between persisting barriers to women’s full equality and empowerment, / and the need to redefine / and in some cases, / destigmatize men’s role as caregivers. // In other words, / in order to liberate women, / we need to liberate men. // The assumption / and common practice // that women and girls look after the home and the family / is a stubborn and very real stereotype / that not only discriminates against women, / but limits men’s participation and connection / within the family and society. These limitations have broad-ranging and significant effects, / for them and for the children. // We know this. // So why do we continue to undervalue fathers and overburden mothers? // Paid parental leave / is not about taking days off work; / it is about creating the freedom to define roles, / to choose how to invest time, / and to establish new, / positive cycles of behavior. // Companies that have offered paid parental leave for employees / have reported improved employee retention, / reduced absenteeism and training costs, / and boosted productivity and morale. Far from not being able / to afford to have paid parental leave, / it seems we can't afford not to. //