Mark Zuckerberg, the Chairman and CEO of Facebook, has announced that he will take two months off from work when his daughter is born.
In July this year, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan announced that they are expecting a daughter. Just like other new parents Zuckerberg and Chan will also want to take some time off to take care of the newborn.
"Priscilla and I are starting to get ready for our daughter's arrival. We've been picking out our favorite childhood books and toys," per Zuckerberg's Facebook page. "We've also been thinking about how we're going to take time off during the first months of her life. This is a very personal decision, and I've decided to take 2 months of paternity leave when our daughter arrives."
Zuckerberg shares that studies have shown that when parents take time off from work to be with their newborns, the outcome is good for the child as well as the family.
Zuckerberg's decision to take two months off after his daughter is born comes amidst controversies in Silicon Valley regarding work-life balance and gender norms.
In early November, Amazon internally announced better parental leave policy for its employees. The new scheme also includes paternity leave for new fathers.
Prior to the latest announcement, Amazon did not give any paternity leave. Women employees were allowed to take only eight weeks of paid maternity leave and up to 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave.
Amazon has now announced revamped maternity leave that will allow women to take up to 20 weeks of paid maternity leave. Male employees can get up to 6 weeks of paid paternity leave from Amazon.
Zuckerberg also took the opportunity to inform people that the company's employees in the U.S. get up to four months of paid paternity or maternity leave.
While Zuckerberg announced the two-month time off, he did not confirm the name of the person who will take over his role in the interim. It is highly likely that Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, will step up in Zuckerberg's absence.
Priscilla and I are starting to get ready for our daughter's arrival. We've been picking out our favorite childhood...
Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Friday, 20 November 2015
