Hua, did you notice the recent news? Many places now have parental leave policies, but people say it's hard to actually take the leave.

I saw that, especially for men — some companies treat paternity leave as absenteeism and may even fire employees for it.

Yeah, the government created parental leave so both parents could take care of their children, but many workplaces only recognize the mother’s leave.

That’s because of traditional views. Many people still think that taking care of children is the mother’s job, so they don’t understand when fathers take leave.

But experts say that if only mothers bear the responsibility, it increases pressure on women in the workplace. Encouraging fathers to take leave creates real equality.

I think companies are mostly worried about the cost. If they have to pay full salaries during leave, they’re reluctant to approve it.

Exactly. That’s why some suggest that maternity insurance funds, or even the government and individuals, share the costs — then companies have no excuse.

Yes, for the policy to truly work, we need both institutional guarantees and changes in social attitudes. Otherwise, parental leave remains just a ‘paper benefit’.