Is Miliband a wuss for taking paternity?

[Tanso]

Simon Hoggart wrote in the guardian that he thinks Ed Miliband is a wuss for taking his two weeks paternity leave. He was then interviewed on Woman's hour where he discussed the topic further.

He says he thinks paternity leave is a great thing but that Ed Milibands job is too important for him to take time off for 'nappy duties'.

Did anyone else read/hear this?

What job is more important than looking after your child?

FFS

If he had not taken paternity leave, he would have been slammed for not caring about his partner and their children.

What is so important about Ed Miliband's job? He is not the PM.

Presumably he was contactable in the event of a constitutional crisis or the calling of a General Election.

Of course he's not a wuss.

And what message would it send to other men in prestigous/demanding jobs if he didn't? "Don't worry, paternity leave is only for the unimportant"?

It can be hard in some work environments to feel like you can take paternity leave, at least he is setting a good example by doing so.

Wonder if he said the same thing about David Cameron taking paternity leave, when he was Prime Minister? (although I do think it has taken some of the momentum out of him being Labour leader. He seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth!) That may just be him though...

So one should only take time out to care for their children if they have a job that could be deemed as unimportant?

"Ed Milibands job is too important....."

What important job? He has no power to do anything other than answer his constituents letters and impotently walk through the lobby like evey other opposition MP.

No not a wuss.

Bad timing though from a leadership point of view but that isn't anybody's fault. Couldn't have predicted the way things have turned out. Few jobs are more important than spending your time with a new born. I am sure Harriet Harman could carry on doing what she did all those months before he was elected. 2 more weeks isn't going to make any difference.

I suspect EM was also aware that many people were surprised he didn't even take the time to register the birth of his first child and get his name on the birth certificate. I am sure he wasn't going to make that mistake twice and I am sure his partner appreciated it too.

David Cameron took paternity leave.

TBH most people, nowadays, would think less of a man for not taking 2 weeks off.

When I had DS1 (9.5yrs ago) men had no such rights. DH was given (very begrudgingly) 4 days off.

Most men take either 1 week or none of their 2 weeks entitlement because they think they would be thought less of.

Piffle. It's nothing to do with men "being thought less off". Most men who don't take up their paternity leave entitlement do so because they can't afford the cut in pay.

Also, it's not uncommon for men to take two weeks off but to have one of those weeks as annual leave (and so paid at full rate) and the other as paternity (paid at, what, £100 a week?). That would show up in the statistics as them only taking a single week off.