A Study on the Essence of Paternity Leave

The declining fertility rate in China is being considered a serious issue, and introducing maternity leaves for males is widely seen as a feasible solution. However, the possible effects of this practice are still uncertain. This paper mainly focuses on how paternity leaves contribute to the fertility rate. Furthermore, this paper draws on research that shows that when maternity leaves for females stand alone, women suffer from increasing discrimination in the workplace and legitimating maternity leaves for males could elevate gender equality. This paper also introduces research on Swedens demography as a case of international comparison. This work concludes that paternity leave could raise peoples willingness to bear children by reducing the tension in workplaces and families. It is pointed out in the work how, resulting from paternity leaves, promoted gender equality and fatherhood in families could increase the fertility rate, building up bases of further research in these areas.