Why Paternity Leave Is a Real Lever of Equality at Work

Lessons from Kundra x Figures research & Podcast conversation with Benjamin Dupas, Leader at Thales

Benjamin has two children.

His first was born in Canada.

His second in France.

In both cases, he made the same choice:

he took real time off - not a few days, but over 2 months.

When I asked him why, his answer was simple:

“Those first weeks matter. That’s when the bond is built.

And that’s when the balance between parents starts to take shape.”

That stayed with me.

Because we often talk about paternity leave as a “nice to have”.

Something symbolic. Something secondary.

But it’s not.

What happens in the first weeks

What happens in the first weeks after a child is born

is not neutral.

It shapes:

• who becomes the default parent

• how the mental load is distributed

• how quickly one person returns to work vs. adapts long-term

• how the couple organizes itself

And once that balance is set, it tends to persist.

Benjamin described something very clearly:

when fathers don’t take space early on,

mothers naturally compensate.

Not because they “should”.

But because someone has to.

And that compensation doesn’t stay limited to the first weeks.

The link with inequality at work

This is where the conversation moves beyond the home.

Because what starts as a practical adjustment

often becomes a structural imbalance.

Kundra recently co-published an article with Figures and what we see it in the data:

• women with children are far more likely to work part-time

• career progression slows down after maternity

• salary gaps widen significantly with each child

This is what is often referred to as the “motherhood penalty”.

But one important nuance is often missing:

these gaps don’t start at promotion time.

They start much earlier.

In the first weeks.

In the initial distribution of time, energy, and responsibility.

When fathers take little time,

mothers absorb more.

And that initial imbalance compounds over time.

What it changes for men (and leaders)

Another part of the conversation is rarely discussed.

Benjamin told me that taking time off didn’t just change his role as a father.

It changed the way he works.

Coming back after several weeks at home, he experienced:

• the difficulty of re-adapting to a full work rhythm

• the fatigue of combining work and family

• the need for time to ramp back up

• the importance of clarity and support from the team

And because he lived it himself,

he now manages people differently.

More awareness.

More empathy.

More intention in how he supports someone coming back from leave.

This matters.

Because leadership is often shaped by experience.

And this is one of the most formative transitions in a career.

The role of the employer

One thing also came through very clearly:

men don’t make these decisions in a vacuum.

What the company signals matters.

Benjamin described a positive environment:

his leave was welcomed,

his absence was anticipated,

and there was no stigma attached to taking time.

That’s not always the case.

In many organizations, even when policies exist,

the implicit signal is different.

And that influences what men feel “allowed” to take.

If companies want more balanced careers,

they cannot only focus on supporting mothers after the fact.

They also need to:

• normalize fathers taking real leave

• plan and organize absences properly

• show that careers do not stall because of it

• make this behavior visible and accepted

Conclusion

If we want to talk seriously about equality at work,

we need to look earlier.

Not only at promotions.

Not only at salaries.

But at the very beginning of the journey into parenthood.

Because that’s where many of the dynamics start.

Paternity leave is not a symbolic topic.

It is a practical, concrete lever.

For balance in the couple.

For retention of talent.

And for more equitable careers over time.