of work in child-rearing and household chores saved mothers a lot of time that could be spent at the workplace.158 Moreover, the existence of motherhood-focused policies in addressing gender pay gaps reinforces stereotypical gender roles, where women are mothers and men are workers. Men are now increasingly more family-centric than their elders, which seems evident by the issuing of generous paternity leaves in companies like Facebook, Reddit, or Instagram, which are run by younger men. One in five men who are fathers and who fall within the millennial generation felt that an ideal career would entail time off to be with his children before re-entry into workforce.159 Paternity leave appeals to many men but also assists women in their careers by reducing the setbacks commonly associated with maternity leave. Re-entry programs and a changed mindset about the need for uninterrupted careers will appeal to both men and women. Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have such programmes, where employees can reduce their work hours for a few years and re-enter their job as full-time workers after their children have grown up.160 Hence, bolstering paternity leave helps men ease into their role as a father and also diminishes the traditional stereotypical expectation of women as caregivers. Thus, bearing in mind these considerations, the UK government should legislate upon extending paternity leaves and create incentives for fathers to take paternity leave in an attempt to reduce gender discrimination in the workplace. A caveat to note is that, as aforementioned, men are sometimes more gravely penalised for taking paternity leave due to the breaking of stereotypes. However, this paper is confident that the law will slowly shape the workplace culture and that even the most entrenched stereotypes can be altered.
3.6. Encouraging Flexibility in Timing, Place and Hours of work
158
Sarah Boesveld, “Quebec Dads who Take Paternity Leave Do More Housework in the Long Run, U.S. Study Finds” (National Post, 2015), http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/quebec-dads-who-take-paternity-leavedo-more-housework-in-the-long-run-u-s-study-finds. 159 Centre for Women and Business, Bentley University, “Millennials in the Workplace”, http://www.bentley.edu/centers/center-for-women-andbusiness/millennials-workplace. 160 Centre for Women and Business, Bentley University, “Millennials in the Workplace”.
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