Babies in the Workplace

More Balanced Gender Roles

Bringing babies to work can also help narrow the shrinking-but-still-present gender gap in the workplace. Our society has come a long way toward understanding that women and men can contribute equally (depending, of course, on their individual skills) in virtually every profession. But due to the still-prevalent assumption that women are the "natural" caregivers for children, many women are still at a disadvantage for advancement in their chosen field. Except in the companies that have baby programs, many women feel compelled to drop out of the workforce for at least a few months and often for several years after they have children. This "off-ramping" can come at a tremendous cost for a woman's financial stability and long-term career options.

Our culture has finally come to the point of encouraging fathers to be involved with their children; the image of the macho, distant father is no longer prevalent in society. But since the majority of fathers still work full-time out of the home, however, long hours away from home remain an impediment to fathers really spending large quantities of time with and bonding with their babies. But the growing baby to work trend will help change this. Giving fathers the option to bring their babies to work with them gives them the chance to overcome their own insecurities and develop confidence in their ability to care for an infant for an extended period of time. Once a baby is four or five weeks old, she is usually skilled enough at breastfeeding that it is usually safe to introduce a bottle if a parent so chooses. Mothers can then pump milk so fathers can take their baby to work. As fathers become more experienced and comfortable with