There’s growing political support for some sort of paid family leave, and it’s clear that many mothers use it when it’s offered. What has been less clear is whether it would make a difference for fathers. A new study shows how it would.

带薪产假正获得越来越多的政治支持，很显然，如果有这样的机会，很多妈妈会去利用它。一直以来，相对不那么清楚的是，它是否会对父亲们产生影响。现在，一项新研究显示了它会产生怎样的影响。

In California, one of three states that offer paid leave for both parents, new fathers have been 46 percent more likely to take leave since the law went into effect in 2004 — especially first-time fathers and those who work at jobs where it’s more common. Still, even in a state that pays for parents to take leave, the study showed that it is much less common among fathers than mothers.

在加利福尼亚，即给父母双方都提供带薪产假的三个州之一，自该法律自2004年生效以来，新生儿父亲休带薪产假的几率增加了46%，第一次当爸爸或其所在单位休产假较普遍的人几率尤其大。但研究也显示，即使是在给父母双方都提供带薪产假的州，父亲休陪产假也远远没有母亲休产假那么普遍。

Advocates of parental leave say they hope prominent examples like Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook co-founder and chief executive, who just started a two-month paternity leave after the birth of his daughter, Max, will change attitudes. “Studies show that when working parents take time to be with their newborns, outcomes are better for the children and families,” he wrote on Facebook last month.

支持双亲休产假的人士表示，他们希望类似Facebook联合创始人兼首席执行官马克·扎克伯格(Mark Zuckerberg)这样的杰出榜样可以改变人们的态度。最近，扎克伯格在女儿麦克斯(Max)出生之后，开始休时长两个月的陪产假。“研究显示，双职工父母花时间陪伴新生儿，其结果对孩子和家庭都更会好，”他上周在Facebook上写道。

The results of California’s program — the first to offer government-supported paternity leave in the United States — show how policies can help families adapt to the fact that most parents now work, and men report as much stress over work-family balance as women do.

加州在美国率先给父亲们提供由政府买单的陪产假，这个项目的结果显示了政府政策可以在多大程度上帮助家庭适应当前的现实状况——大多数父母现在都要工作，在维持工作与家庭的平衡方面，男性表示背负的压力和女性一样大。

Though men still face a strong stigma when they take leave, paid leave policies seem to help alleviate that. And when men spend time caring for children early on, they are more involved for years to come, studies show, while women are able to work more hours and earn higher wages.

尽管男性休陪产假依然要面临强烈的社会偏见，但带薪产假政策似乎有助于减轻这种影响。而且研究显示，如果男性在孩子出生之初花时间照顾他们，在接下来几年他们也会在这方面投入更多，这样女性就可以有更多时间工作和赚取更高的薪资。

“It wasn’t clear until now if this would have an effect on men, too, because of gender stereotypes and norms,” said Maya Rossin-Slater, an economist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an author of the study. “It’s important to know that fathers do have a demand for leave, and when it’s offered, they do respond.”

“此前我们一直不清楚，这是否也会对男性产生影响，因为有性别偏见和程式化认知的存在，”这项研究的作者、加州大学圣巴巴拉分校(University of California, Santa Barbara)经济学家马娅·罗森·斯莱特(Maya Rossin-Slater)说。“现在我们知道，父亲们的确有休陪产假的需求，如果有机会，他们会响应，这点很重要。”

The researchers used state and federal data to study leave-taking among California fathers who live with their children. They found that paid leave had evened out the division of labor in California families: Solo leave-taking by fathers (when mothers are back at work) increased 50 percent. Leave-taking at the same time as mothers increased 28 percent.

研究人员利用州和联邦数据，研究加州和孩子们一起生活的父亲们休陪产假的情况。他们发现，带薪产假使加州家庭内部的劳动分工变得更加平均：父亲单独休产假（母亲返回职场工作）的情况增加了50%。在母亲休产假的同时父亲也休陪产假的情况增加了28%。

Fathers of sons were twice as likely to take leave as fathers of daughters, though it is unclear why. There is other evidence that parents spend more time with children of their gender. California mothers were slightly more likely to take leave with daughters than with sons, and single mothers tend to invest more in daughters.

生儿子的父亲们休产假的几率，几乎是生女儿的父亲们的两倍，不过目前还不清楚其中的原因。还有其他证据显示，父母会花更多时间陪伴和自己性别一样的孩子。加州的母亲们休产假陪女儿的几率会略微大于休产假陪儿子的几率，单身母亲也倾向于在女儿身上投入更多。

The economists also found that the increase in men’s leave-taking was almost entirely driven by first-time fathers. Mothers, meanwhile, were equally likely to take leave with additional children.

经济学家们也发现，男性休陪产假情况的增加，几乎完全是由第一次当父亲的人群所推动。相比之下，母亲们则在后面的孩子们出生时，也同样有可能休产假。

The researchers speculated that first-time fathers might be responding to the sharp learning curve with a first baby, or else they start families with lofty ideals for fatherhood but later revert to more traditional gender roles, perhaps because of employer pressure.

研究人员猜测，第一次当父亲的人休陪产假，可能是因为第一个孩子出生后需要学习的东西太多，或者他们在成立家庭时有着比较崇高的有关父亲角色的观念，但后来可能因为来自雇佣单位的压力，又回归到更传统的父亲角色定位。

Men who worked in jobs with a large share of female workers were also more likely to take leave. There is most likely less stigma about men taking time off at jobs where many women have already done so.

工作环境里有相当多女性员工的男性也更有可能休陪产假。在很多女性已经休产假的地方，休陪产假的男性受歧视可能性也很有可能更低。

“These are places where norms are such that when a male or female worker has a child, they are more likely to take leave,” said Ms. Rossin-Slater, who wrote the paper with Jane Waldfogel and Ann Bartel of Columbia University, Christopher Ruhm of the University of Virginia and Jenna Stearns of the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“有些地方存在这样的常规，即在一个名男性或女性员工有孩子以后，他们更有可能休假，”罗森·斯莱特说，和她一起撰写这份报告作者还有哥伦比亚大学的简·沃尔德福格尔(Jane Waldfogel)和安·巴特尔(Ann Bartel)，弗吉尼亚大学的克里斯托弗·鲁姆(Christopher Ruhm)和加州大学圣巴巴拉校区的詹纳·斯特恩斯(Jenna Stearns)。

Previous studies have shown that peer influence — as when co-workers, brothers or bosses take paternity leave — has a strong effect on men’s leave-taking. That is one reason Mr. Zuckerberg publicly announced his leave. He also promotes leave by explicitly saying in meetings that people are on parental leave instead of just out of the office. Facebook offers four months of paid parental leave, but while most women there take all the time, men take less.

之前的研究显示，同侪影响——比如同事、兄弟或老板休陪产假——会对男性休产假产生很大作用。这是扎克伯格公开宣布他休陪产假的一个原因。而且他也通过在会议中明确表示某位员工在休产假，而不只是说他／她没来上班，来宣传休产假的概念。Facebook给员工提供四个月的带薪产假，但相比于那里大多数女性员工都会休满四个月产假，男性休假时间还是相对短一些。

Paternity leave seems to set lifelong patterns for families. In another study co-written by Ms. Waldfogel of 10,000 children in the United States, researchers found that fathers who took two or more weeks of leave were significantly more likely to do child-care tasks like diapering and feeding later on. Fathers who took less than two weeks were no more likely to be involved than those who took none at all.

父亲休陪产假似乎可以设定家庭以后的亲子模式。在沃尔德福格尔与他人合写的另一篇论文中，研究人员发现休两三周陪产假的父亲们后来可能更愿意完成换尿布或喂奶等照料孩子的任务。休假不到两周的父亲的参与度则不会比那些不休假的父亲高。

Still, Mr. Zuckerberg is the exception. Although 89 percent of fathers took some time off after their baby’s birth, almost two-thirds took one week or less, according to research by Ms. Waldfogel.

但扎克伯格是一个例外。沃尔德福格尔的研究发现，虽然89%的父亲在孩子出生后会休假，几乎三分之二的人只休一周或更少时间。

In California, few fathers take the full six weeks. Again, stigma associated with leave plays a role. Social scientists have found that men pay a price in earnings and promotions when they do not seem wholly committed to work. There is also evidence that many people simply do not know the leave is available.

在加州，休完六周陪产假的父亲不多。针对男性陪产假的社会偏见又一次发挥了作用。社会科学家发现，当男性看起来没有完全致力于工作时，他们的收入及晋升前景会受到影响。还有证据证明，很多人只是不知道可以休产假。

Even countries with generous paternity leaves have had trouble getting fathers to take them. In places like Sweden and Canada, policy makers have enforced so-called daddy quotas to encourage more men to take leave.

甚至那些提供较长陪产假的国家也存在难以让父亲们休这种假的问题。在瑞典和加拿大等国，决策者们强迫执行所谓的爸爸配额政策，鼓励更多男性休陪产假。