Press Trust of India
Washington, Nov 21: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that he is planning to take two months of paternity leave upon his first child’s birth, underlining the importance of family in the life of one of the world’s youngest billionaire. Zuckerberg, 31, is expecting a girl child after his wife Priscilla Chan, 30, suffered a series of miscarriages. Terming the decision a “very personal” one, Zuckerberg said in an online post that “outcomes are better for children and families” when working parents take time off to be with their newborns, a strong statement on family life by one of the US’s busiest executive.
“Priscilla and I are starting to get ready for our daughter’s arrival… Every day things are getting a little more real for us, and we’re excited to start this next stage in our lives,” Zuckerberg, the founder of world’s biggest online social network, said in his post. He, however, did not reveal when are they expecting their child. Zuckerberg’s two-month-long break is six weeks more time off than what president and CEO of Yahoo Marissa Mayer took after giving birth to twins, but two months less than he offers his employees at Facebook. Parental leave is a hotly debated issue in the US and different tech companies offer various benefits to parents during this phase to retain quality talent.
Google gives 18 weeks’ maternity leave and 12 weeks’ paternity while Microsoft gives new parents 12 weeks off. However, Netflix pushed the boundaries of the debate after it announced in August that it was giving some of its US workers up to a year of paid leave following the birth or adoption of a child.
