Serena Williams’ Husband Alexis Ohanian Challenges Stigma Surrounding Paternity Leave

In a rather candid essay published in The New York Times, entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian admits to hating people who refer to fathers spending their time with their children, as ‘babysitting’. Though Alexis never bothered about paternity leave issues before becoming a dad, taking 16 weeks off turned out to be a great confidence booster and a solid foundation builder for his wife, tennis player Serena Williams, himself and their 2-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia. In the recent essay, the 36-year-old Reddit co-founder, explained that paternity leave is essential, despite there being a ‘stigma’ about it.

Ohanian understands that few fathers have the flexibility to leave jobs as it could negatively impact their careers. He stresses on paid family leave for everyone, acknowledging that Serena and he were fortunate to have help at home and other advantages. Despite these privileges, his ability to focus on family needs and not worry about his job, he still said it was difficult. Nothing could drag him away from his family in those blissful days of early parenthood and he is grateful about not having to choose between his family and his job.

A Cultural Stigma

Ohanian sadly claims that only 9% of work sites in the United States offer paid paternity leave to all male employees, and 76% of fathers are forced to go back to work within a week after the birth or adoption of a child. He could not blame his dad, or anybody’s dad, for not taking time off after a child’s birth as their culture renders it difficult. The United States is the only industrialized country that does not mandate some form of paid family leave, despite the fact that most dads positively would desire to be at home for the first few months after a child’s birth.

Ohanian blames the lack of paternity leave on our culture’s “stigma” and that “men are conditioned to be breadwinners,” adding that men’s “sense of duty is often fear-based” as well. “Nearly a third of dads think that taking leave could negatively impact their career. We could miss out on a promotion. We could become obsolete. We could get fired. Career fear is powerful,” he wrote.

Learning Parenting Skills

Staying at home and attending to his baby girl helped Ohanian become a caring parent, acquire parenting skills and understand what fatherhood is and even out the parenting playing field. Spending quality time with baby Olympia as a new-born child, instilled confidence in him that he too could understand this entire parenting mystery and also master essential parenting skills. He had been an only child without any cousins, and growing up, had no exposure to babies and actually had never held one until his daughter was born. The Managing Partner of The Initialized Capital gives due credit to his paternity leave stint for helping Williams, 37, and himself remain on the same page and sharing parental responsibilities. Two years later, no one in their home finds it odd about him feeding Olympia, changing diapers, doing her hair or anything else needed for her, in a pinch. These are just all “dad things” and are not “babysitter” things.