A recent complaint filed by a father and employee of JP Morgan Chase indicates that just like mothers are given maternity leave, equal privilege should be given to fathers or soon-to-be fathers.
The complaint filed on behalf of Derek Rotondo indicates he discovered his employer gave only two weeks of paternity leave to him while the “primary caregivers” (mothers) were offered 16 weeks of maternity leave.
Rotondo filed his complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, along with the help of the ACLU and Outen & Golden – an employment law firm. The complaint seeks changes in policies, representing all fathers who are subject to what has been deemed as an “unfair” company policy.
In a statement issued, Rotondo said, “Just because I am a father and not a mother, it doesn’t mean I can’t be a caregiver. I expect some changes to be made in the policy by JP Morgan and share the consideration and support towards fathers.”
The complaint filed at EEOC alleges that JP Morgan has an unfair and discriminating policy against fathers based on gender stereotypes. The complaint cites that it’s not just about few leaves offered to fathers, but a very unique definition of fathers being considered the primary caregivers only if they can prove their spouse or domestic partner has returned to work or is medically unfit to care for the child.
The company confirmed the policy of 16 weeks leave for primary caregivers and two weeks leave for non-primary parents. They did not comment on the complaint filed by Rotondo. A company spokesperson confirmed that in lieu of the couples being gay, where both the spouses are male then the man can be considered a primary caregiver/parent.
Even though JP Morgan’s leave policy is accepted across the United States and is considered to be generous considering many U.S workers have no family leave system at all, Rotondo still feels that this type of leave system should change. If not, the mother could end up bearing most of the parenting responsibilities which according to Rotondo is not fair either.
Anirudh M. for TechFunnel.com
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