Dove is Offering $1M in Paternity Leave Grants, #because2019

While the fight for maternity leave raged (who are we kidding—rages), paternity leave seemed a topic for the proverbial back burner. Or maybe not even a topic of discussion at all for most hard-working businessmen. Kind of a longstanding and unspoken tradition of, “Well duh. It’s my wife who had the baby, why should I stay home, too?”

But thanks be to Dove for changing all that in 2019.

Likely due to a newer wave of fatherhood (#praise) where women and men share more and more responsibilities of child-rearing equally, Dove has responded by putting $1M where their mouth is.

Which is to say, the pockets of expecting fathers without adequate access to paternity leave.

“Working dads shouldn’t have to choose between their children and a paycheck—because when they take paternity leave, it benefits families, workplaces and communities.”

But because less than 20% of working men in the U.S. get paternity benefits, it puts all three of those things at risk. And Dove isn’t about that life.

So, they’re offering 200 fathers $5,000 each as part of their Pledge for Paternity Leave campaign. Expectant fathers can apply by answering a series of basic questions, plus expounding on some more important ones like:

· What does being a caring dad mean to you today, and what do you want your legacy as a caring dad to be?

· What do you wish society knew about the importance of fatherhood that they currently overlook?

The benefits of having an involved father at home are seemingly endless, and it starts in those first jolting weeks post-partum—for baby, for mom, andfor dad.

So way to be, Dove, for recognizing the need and then doing something about it.