While paternity leave entitlements (relative to those of maternity leave) is an issue of itself, there another issue here we must address that stems deeper than the policies. The fact is: many men don't take their whole entitled (paid) leave, if they take any at all. Why? What are these hidden barriers keeping men at work? Culture. Fear of falling behind on work, fear of being seen as lacking commitment to the job, etc. We need a cultural shift, starting in the workplace, that normalises work flexibility post-child birth for both genders. A good start is mandatory equal parental leave for both genders. The discrepancies between maternity and paternity leave perpetuate the gender inequalities we are trying to push away from. We should instead have the structures in place to help both women and men succeed in both the home and the workplace. These early months are instrumental in shaping family dynamics.