- I remember the day:my wife was three months pregnant, and I knew that I wanted to take time off.

-我记得那一天：我妻子怀孕三个月，我知道我想请假。

But when I walked in to ask my boss, I was so nervous.

但是当我走进来问我的老板时，我非常紧张。

I was about to ask for seven months of paternity leave, and I just didn't know how my boss would react to that.

我要请七个月的陪产假，我只是不知道我的老板会有什么反应。

Like most men in Japan, I grew up being told that masculinity is supposed to look a certain way.

像大多数日本男人一样，我从小就被告知男子气概应该看起来像某种样子。

You're supposed to be stoic and strong, dominant and in control, the breadwinner for your family.

你应该坚忍而坚强，具有支配力和控制力，是家庭中养家糊口的人。

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

但当我遇到我妻子的时候，她在这一点上表示质疑。

She pushed me on thinking that men should always pay for dates, on assuming that women should always do the childcare.

她让我思考，男人是否应该永远为约会买单，女人是否应该永远照看孩子。

Japan offers both mothers and fathers, 12 months of paid parental leave.

日本为母亲和父亲分别提供12个月的带薪育儿假。

It's been ranked number one in the world in terms of length and compensation for paternity leave.

就假期长度和薪酬而言，陪产假一直位居世界第一。

But here's the crazy thing: In 2020, only about 7% of fathers took it.

但疯狂的是：在2020年，只有大约7%的父亲使用了休产假。

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

在这7%的人中，四分之三的人休了两周或更短的时间。

With pressure at work, most Japanese men just aren't at home during this pivotal time.

由于工作压力很大，大多数日本男人在这个关键时刻都没在家度过。

And that's a shame, because paternity leave, it benefits everyone.

这太可惜了，因为陪产假对每个人都有好处。

Here is why normalizing it is so important: I believe deeply in gender equality.

陪产假正常化非常重要：我深深地相信性别平等。

I took my wife's last name, and even wrote a book about it.

我跟了我妻子的姓，甚至还写了一本关于它的书。

And still, I was terrified asking for paternity leave.

尽管如此，我还是很害怕请陪产假。

I'd heard of bosses denying the request, or questioning their employee's masculinity.

我听说过老板们会拒绝这一要求，或者质疑员工的男子气概。

I was scared that, in asking for time off, I might be replaced or left behind.

我很害怕，在请假的时候，我可能会被取代或被超越。

But my boss, he accepted my request right away, which made me feel so valued, and it let me focus on what was most important: my family.

但是我的老板，他立刻接受了我的请求，这让我感到很受重视，也让我把注意力集中在最重要的事情上：我的家庭。

I can't describe how much joy I got seeing my newborn son each day.

我无法形容每天见到我刚出生的儿子时有多高兴。

I especially loved my early morning shift with him, so his mom could sleep in.

我特别喜欢轮岗，早上和儿子在一起，这样他妈妈就可以睡懒觉了。

When he was a newborn, we'd just cuddle on the couch.

当他还是个新生儿的时候，我们只是依偎在沙发上。

And when he got a little bigger, he became my best workout buddy, as a cheerleader during my morning runs, in his stroller.

他稍大一些的时候，就成了我最好的健身伙伴，我晨跑时，他坐在婴儿车里当啦啦队长。

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

或者，可以当我蹲起和二头肌弯曲的哑铃。

I feel so close to my son now.

我现在感觉和我儿子很亲近。

And it's not just me; men who take paternity leave experience a stronger bond with their babies.

不仅是我，其他休陪产假的男性与他们的孩子也会有更强的亲密度。

Research shows that the longer the paternity leave, the more engaged the father is in the first few years of a child's life.

研究表明，陪产假越长，父亲在孩子生命的前几年就越投入。

I was shocked to learn that over half of all US fathers report feeling dissatisfied with the amount of time they spend with their children.

我很震惊地得知超过一半的美国父亲对和孩子在一起的时间感到不满。

Paternity leave is a chance to change that.

陪产假是一个改变这一点的机会。

My relationship with my wife also deepened on my leave.

在我休假期间，我和妻子的关系也加深了。

We went on a walk together every day, and I became a better cook and cleaner because I was able to spend more time on household duties, which made her happy.

我们每天一起散步，我变得更会做饭，也更干净，因为我可以花更多的时间做家务，这让她很高兴。

In a Mc Kinsey & Company survey, 90% of fathers who took paternity leave say it improved their relationship, too.

麦肯锡公司的一项调查显示，90%休陪产假的父亲说陪产假也改善了他们的关系。

This happens along a few different dimensions: First, because you gain a whole new respect for what's involved in childcare and housework, and it makes you step up and take on more.

这体现在几个不同的方面：首先，因为你对照顾孩子和做家务有了全新的尊重，这会让你有所提高并在家庭中承担更多。

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

在家里，你提供了情感上的支持。

Statistics show that when a mother's partner is involved, especially in the first few weeks after birth, it reduces the risk of postpartum depression significantly.

统计数据显示，当母亲的伴侣参与其中时，特别是在孩子出生后的前几周，这会显著降低患产后抑郁症的风险。

But this is really just the start, because paternity leave is also good for business.

但这真的只是个开始，因为陪产假对事业也有好处。

Paternity leave can have a profound impact on gender equality in the workforce.

陪产假可能会对劳动力中的性别平等产生深远的影响。

There is an inherent imbalance if women take childcare leave, and men don't.

如果女性休育儿假，而男性不休，这是一种天生的不平衡。

Working mothers are often juggling two full-time jobs, one at work, and one at home.

职业母亲经常要同时做两份全职工作，一份在工作中，另一份在家里。

Many don't return to the workforce or decide to take reduced roles.

许多人没有重返职场，或者决定接受降职。

By taking paternity leave, men can give women more options, and even boost their ability to rise into leadership roles.

通过休陪产假，男人可以给女人更多的选择，甚至可以提高她们晋升为领导的能力。

A study in Sweden showed that for every month of parental leave taken by the father, the mother's earnings increased by approximately 7%.

瑞典的一项研究表明，父亲每休一个月产假，母亲的收入就会增加约7%。

It's interesting to note that 90% of female students in Japan say they'd want their future partner to take parental leave, and nearly 80% of men entering the workforce here, and I suspect in other countries too, say they want to take paternity leave.

有趣的是，日本90%的女学生表示，她们希望未来的伴侣休产假，而日本近80%的职场男性也表示想休陪产假，我想其他国家也是这样。

For employers to have that open, inclusive culture where paternity leave is respected, that can help companies attract and retain the best talent.

对于雇主来说，拥有开放、包容的文化，尊重陪产假，可以帮助公司吸引和留住最优秀的人才。

Workers are increasingly choosing the companies based on the culture.

工人们越来越多地根据企业文化选择公司。

This is a space where any company can give themselves a boost.

这是一个任何公司都可以提升自己的空间。

I've been back at my job for about three months now, and I can already tell you, I feel so much more productive.

我已经回到我的工作岗位大约三个月了，我已经可以告诉你，我感觉工作效率提高了很多。

I'm very focused, and always looking for ways to be more efficient, so I can get home to my family.

我非常专注，总是在寻找更有效率的方法，这样我就可以早点回家和家人在一起。

I've heard this from many mothers coming back from maternity leave, too.

我也从许多产假归来的母亲那里听说过这一点。

And studies confirm 80% of companies that offer paid family leave report a positive impact on morale, and 70% notice a boost in productivity.

研究证实提供带薪探亲假的公司中，80%的公司认为对士气有积极影响，70%的公司认为提高了生产率。

It's a positive for any company.

这对任何一家公司都是有积极效果的。

And that brings me to my final point: Paternity leave, it's good for society.

这就引出了我的最后一点：陪产假对社会有益。

Paternity leave is one of the big steps we can make in giving partners the opportunity to share their work, both at home and at work.

陪产假是无论在公司还是在家里，都可以让伴侣有机会分担他们工作的重要举措。

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

总体而言，这是我们弥合性别差距的最佳选择之一。

Research shows that when that gender gap gets smaller, people report higher life satisfaction.

研究表明，性别差距越小，人们的生活满意度就越高。

Iceland, Norway, and Finland rank top three in the Global Gender Gap Index, and over 70% of fathers take paternity leave.

冰岛、挪威和芬兰在全球性别差距指数中排名前三，超过70%的父亲休陪产假。

And if you take a look at their ranking in the World Happiness Report, they're very, very high.

如果你看看他们在“世界幸福报告”中的排名，你会发现他们的排名非常非常高。

This might be a coincidence, but I don't think so.

这可能是巧合，但我不这么认为。

That freedom to be yourself and make choices without gender expectations, it feels really good.

自由地做自己，没有性别期望地做选择，这种感觉真的很好。

We live in a patriarchy, and what I've realized is that the same world that systematically favors men, it's also trapping us in a cage.

我们生活在父权制社会中，我意识到，偏爱男性的世界同样是禁锢我们的牢笼。

We need more countries to set up systems that allow all parents to take paid childcare leave, to give everyone new options.

我们需要更多的国家建立允许所有父母休带薪育儿假的制度，让每个人都有新的选择。

We need to build a culture that encourages and values men as caretakers, because we can do it too.

我们需要建立一种文化，鼓励和重视男性作为照顾者，因为我们也可以做到这一点。