Should companies be responsible to provide paid family leave?

All in all, I don't think an employer should be responsible and expected to pay for such leaves, but I do think that it's a positive thing for both the employer and employees.

I don't think companies should have to pay for leaves because people don't NEED to take time off from work to have or raise a family. Many people don't and seem to do fine, especially when they have more resources to do so. Employers can't control or monitor whether an employee is ready to have a family or not, and shouldn't be forced to pay if they're not. It would be great if a company could even allow an employee a leave with a promise that he or she will have a job upon return.

Certainly there is a difference between family leave and then medical insurance, disability, and so on because usually the latter benefits cover emergencies or misfortunes that are usually out of one's control. People often don't choose if they get cancer or if they suffer from arthritis. However, people can decide if they want a family and can control when it happens.

On the other hand, people have the right to have children, and certainly a company can't expect that employees won't want a family at some point. Some companies can't afford to pay for family leaves, but if it can (like the companies under the Family and Medical Leave Act), then it might as well, as it often results in higher employee loyalty with little effect on productivity.

Also, paying for family leave may encourage working males to take time from work to spend time with family in the event of a birth or other drastic event. Women are more likely to take time off for care for families, and this makes it hard for women in general to advance in their careers, if they can have a career at all. Family leave can help bring more fathers into home life, and can help relieve some of the burden off of women to sacrifice their careers for family.

And of course children will benefit from having more support in growth and development, and if a family has a mother and a father, then hopefully a child can benefit even more from having positive role models of both sexes. They can also grow up believing in the power of involved parenthood and work-life balance.

What do you think?