New Jersey has truly been leading the way to expand parental leave. These alterations have sparked protests from parents concerned about parental rights and the essential bonding period for emerging families. The US territory gives its residents six weeks of paid leave at full salary for both mothers and fathers. This is a great advance on the UK’s two-week statutory right. This new effort is focused on promoting equal opportunity for both parents from the very beginning of a child’s life.
In 2020, Jersey adopted new parental leave laws that make both parents equally entitled to this time. Louise Doublet, Chair of Jersey’s Health and Social Security Panel, is a leading advocate behind this progressive vision. She calls Jersey a “trailblazer” in establishing equal parental rights, reaffirming the value of both parents in raising children. “It’s important for children to have both parents fully involved in their care from day one,” Doublet stated.
Flexibility of working arrangements
Another key aspect of Jersey’s policies is their flexibility – both in terms of remote work and hybrid models. The right to flexible working Employees do have a statutory right to request flexible working, but this is not enough for the families of today. In adjacent Guernsey, just to the north across the English Channel, it’s a different story. There is no legal requirement of paid parental leave and no legal right for residents to ask for flexible hours.
Ben Allen, a Jersey dad, recently took Jersey’s new parental leave to bond with his son Ajax. He’d like to take more time away from work to spend more time building their connection. In the first few weeks of returning, I was getting very teary. He was just saying that he had to go out to the restroom to compose himself. It sounded like he was dying inside, like he was missing out on some vital life experience. His experience sheds light on the emotional turmoil dads can go through if forced to go back to work early.
Elliott Rae is a passionate advocate for equal parenting and gender equality. He points out that nearly 25 percent of fathers don’t take any paternity leave, a figure he finds particularly wrenching. “That fatherhood-infant bonding experience is so important. Evidence suggests that more than 1 in 10 fathers experience symptoms of post-partum depression within the first six months following their child’s birth.” Rae highlighted this key takeaway finding. He thinks the national norm for paternity leave needs to be raised to six weeks so that both new parents get quality bonding time.
Jersey and Guernsey have opposing parental leave policies. This striking divide begs the basic question of what families are finding for support in these areas. Though Jersey’s new initiatives are an admirable step forward, they underscore the lack of such reforms in neighboring Guernsey. Peter Roffey, outgoing President of the Committee for Employment & Social Security, emphasizes that statutory leave entitlement must be reformed to create a family-friendly environment.
The government is determined to further improve Guernsey’s family-friendliness. They understand that this new initiative offers them an opportunity to create positive social impacts while reaping potential economic benefits. The absence of paid parental leave in Guernsey undermines developmental outcomes for the entire family. It harms workforce participation and imperils long-term economic stability.
Louise Doublet, executive director of the societal initiative, emphasizes her American counterparts’ benefit in calling on dads to take advantage of their parental leave perks. “As a society, we need to send a message to fathers that they are entitled to this leave, that they are needed in the home caring for their children just as much as mothers are, and that they should fully utilize their parental leave benefits,” she said.
Discussion around any parental leave policy is key—extending the conversation to the fight for equality and emphasizing that this only increases the demand for balanced family leave. There are few better examples of this than Jersey’s emergence as a leader here. We hope our neighboring regions will heed this call and reinforce this critical support that all parents deserve during this transformative life stage.
