To think it's sad that take-up of Shared Parental Leave is just 2 per cent?

[AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43026312

DH and I are sharing parental leave between us, 9 months for me and 3 months for him. Whenever he tells anyone the response has been universally positive, generally praising him for doing this. When I've told other women they've often reacted with shock, saying they'd never give up some of 'their' leave to their DH/DP. We know another couple who have had huge rows over this - they'd initially planned to share leave 9/3 like us but at 6 months the DW backed out and said she was keeping it all to herself.

I think if women are ever going to achieve equality in the workplace then more men should be encouraged to take up this scheme, but what if women don't want them to? I feel very strongly that a man should be entitled to time off to bond with his child, but our friends' situation has made me wonder whether it's right to allow the mother to make the decision unilaterally (although as she has to carry the child and give birth it kind of makes sense to have first dibs, although fathers do seem to be pushed out here).

Thoughts? Should we be encouraging more men to take this up or something different?

Mine were born before the latest rule change, but we'd have loved the option for DH to take the first few weeks off alongside me.

Oh dear, I see no one realised the baffled comment was a joke. There are so many comments on MN about how staying at home with small children is the equivalent of working outside the home, more so because it's hard work and you don't get lunch breaks, holidays etc. I thought the contrast with the many people commenting about having a year 'off work' was amusing. Yes, I understand that we are all different and some people prefer being at home to being at work. I did not mean to offend anyone.

One thing I have noticed (in real life and on MN) is that a few people have said 'I wouldn't want to only have six months off' as if they've assumed you have to split it equally. Has anyone else noticed this?