to feel irritated about the lack of men taking time off for half term?

DH is off this week, as always for February half term, but we are skiing so it’s a holiday.

I haven’t noticed this, I work with a few men who are off this week. Also a few women who are working this week and their husband is off.

I do think parents see this week as drawing the ‘short straw’ for annual leave, as it’s not a great time of year to have off. The Easter hols and May half term are more popular.

Since when don't men take time off for half term. I mean, I'm not but DD is 18 and would much rather have the house to herself for the week! I certainly took my fair share when DD was younger.

Most of the men with kids under about 14 in my office are off for either some or most of the week, and that seems fairly usual for most places I've worked over the last 20 years

I have taken two days off, DP has taken two days off and my retired parents are having then one day.

Yes, it is.

Mumsnet does seem to fly in the face of the evidence every time this topic comes up.

Actually someone should use Mumsnet as a research sample to see if they can figure out why structural inequality doesn't apply here. Maybe lessons could be learned (it wouldn't surprise me to find out that while the dads are off, the mums still organised it).

That is what AIBU is for but this doesn’t concern or affect you so I’d say YABU to be so annoyed just for that reason.
I was always the mum to book time off on holidays because I wanted to be off with the children. Do you know that’s not the same for everyone you’re talking about?

My boss is off all this week. A number of our exec/senior leadership team have days off across this week. My DH has 2 days off this week and I have 3. Must be the men you know!

I mean it's similar here.

It would be EXTREMELY EASY to download the school term dates from their website in September (actually you can normally do it two years in advance).

Wouldn't it?

My office would disagree.

My female boss and her husband have both booked a couple of days leave so they can cover half term between them.

My male head of department has booked the whole of half term week off.

Of the other senior people with children there are a variety of arrangements largely dependent upon the age of the kids, so those with teens or pre-schoolers might still be working. It is definitely not just women taking time off.

Just back from a walk and met a couple of two dads with kids at the park. They are sharing half term week with the mums who are working today. And we have neighbours who can both WFH who are juggling kids between meeting calls with neither of them going into the office this week.

Depends upon each couple’s approach to shared parenting. It’s important for parents (mums) to set ground rules early when it comes to time off. Plenty of women are higher earners these days.

So are these men not taking any time off to look after children at other times? Because even two lots of annual leave taken totally separately isn’t enough to cover school holidays. Are you saying these men are just taking random school days off work instead of time during holidays?

I’m off this week, but it’s not a sign DH doesn’t take time off, it’s a sign that he’s off for the May half term instead.

Reminds me of all the men who cant possibly take time off because they are 'self employed, so if I dont work I dont get paid' fair enough if you're struggling financially due to shit luck, but the idea that your children magically stop needing childcare because you dont want to give up any beer money to save to cover the school holidays, absolute nonsense. Its always men who've been self employed since they left school and therefore have been fully in possession of the knowledge that if they have kids they will need to save for holiday time too...

Yanbu my stbxh is completely perplexed by the expectation that he would have to use annual leave to cover childcare in the holidays

he is adamant this is my issue to resolve and as a police officer he can’t be expected to take time off. Insane.

3 of us in my office with primary aged children. I am in, the two Dads are off.

Dh is currently looking after ours, though I will have a day off later in the week.

I get really annoyed too when I see blokes booking airplane seats away from the mum and the kids

KNOB!

I told a friend of mine that I’d reschedule my flight for the next flight/day if I were her. I was a single parent myself, so have zero patience for men in partnerships with the mother of their kids who don’t take responsibility for their own kids equally.

I think you need to look at the bigger picture. Presumably there is a limit to how much leave everyone gets. So while men might not take leave now they might have it booked off for a different holiday.

I deliberately didn't put the kids half term dates on the calendar this month as I wanted to see how long it took for my husband to realise the kids were off.

Friday. The day they broke up, and only because the kids asked me in front of him if they "could have late bedtimes next week".

" Did you know it was half term next week?" Erm, of course I did. It's February, it happens every year. To be fair to him, he immediately offered to book off some half days to take them out.

Yes, the men I work with just put their leave request in, job done. What needs talking about?

Maybe the men prefer to talk about something else?

I thought it was pretty well shown by the relevant research and statistics that women do more to cover holiday childcare than men. So although it’s great to hear that lots of people’s work places aren’t like that, the majority won’t be.

I wasn’t suggesting you shouldn’t post. So I guess in answer to your thread, YABU.

Also in my office it’s pretty equal who takes time off for kids, the men just don’t seem to discuss the details of their lives as much. The fact that women find common ground over childcare issues more, doesn’t always mean men are just shit.

Among my friends and colleagues it is a pretty even spilt. Me and DH are both off for 1 day this week for half term. I will have DS the majority of the time because I wfh full time. DS is 10 and can occupy himself so it doesn’t make sense for DH to take any more days off.

Behind every man not taking time off is a woman facilitating it

This doesn’t resonate with me, women don’t have any additional annual leave than men. It’s always split in my circles.
I’m not sure why someone else’s family set up bothers you so much though. It only has to work for them, not you.