As a champion of care,
Dove Men+Care established a mission to make paternity leave a right for all, and to support dads in feeling safe and normal when asking for and taking leave, because no father should ever have to choose between his paycheck and his family. 

INSIGHT

Dove Men+Care talked to hundreds of real dads to understand social issues that mattered most to them. What we found was surprising: fathers were being held back from being the fathers they want to be because of a lack of time they can spend with their children at birth. In fact, only 1 in 5 American men have access to any paid paternity leave, which limits fathers’ bonding time with their children, the ability to close the gender gap, and the opportunity for men to care for their families.

Dove Men+Care’s paternity leave mission is built upon a foundation of findings developed through partnership and sponsorship with research organizations such as Promundo and The Boston College Center for Work and Family. Both organizations have produced research sponsored by Dove Men+Care, including Promundo’s State of the World’s Fathers Report and BC’s New Dad Research Series.

Our research found that on average, 85% of dads globally say they would do anything to be more involved after the birth/adoption of their child. However, of the less than 50% of countries that do offer paid leave, only 33% of dads actually used their full benefits, demonstrating that many dads still feel uncomfortable in taking paid leave due to the societal stigma they may face if they do.

CHALLENGE

Since 2010, Dove Men+Care has been committed to expanding men’s opportunities to care by addressing stereotypes around masculinity, fatherhood, and sports. In 2018, the brand grew its purpose from simply celebrating the caring role of men to driving action around an issue that’s been preventing dads from caring – the lack of paternity leave.

Through proprietary research, we unearthed a powerful insight that seemed to be holding fathers back from being the best father they wanted to be – a lack of time to spend with their children at birth. In our research, we found that when a father spends more time caring for very young children, he has a closer relationship with them in the longer term and takes on more responsibility for domestic tasks as well. As a champion for care, we sought to combat this issue and help bring care to the start of these relationships at a key moment in time.

IDEA

Dove Men+Care created and encouraged all dads, allies, and business leaders to sign the Pledge for Paternity Leave to show their support of every dads’ right to paid paternity leave.

To meet an urgent need in the U.S. right now, we also launched the Dove Men+Care Paternity Leave Fund, a $1 million commitment to fund dads who are unable to take meaningful time off during this important life moment.

To help drive national awareness of the Pledge and the Fund, we partnered with paternity leave advocate and entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian as our campaign spokesperson. But to garner more support, we leveraged long-time partners such as City Dads Group, Gays with Kids, Dad 2.0, Josh Levs, Dr. Wizdom Powell, and Jim Higley to drive diversity, awareness, and support through original content, op-eds, community events, and more.

As Dove Men+Care prepared to enter the policy space, we understood the need for an expert voice to authentically connect the brand to the political landscape, so we partnered with Paid Leave for the U.S. (PL+US) – the national campaign to win paid family leave by 2022. PL+US has served as an adviser to the brand as we continue to elevate our mission to fight for policy change. 

Through our efforts, Dove Men+Care identified a passionate community of dads and allies and established Advocates for Paternity Leave, a private Facebook group that helps members stay connected, informed, and armed with the tools they need as activists influencing change across the country.

Last October, Dove Men+Care, PL+US, Unilever leadership, Alexis Ohanian and our Dadvocates (Paternity Leave Fund recipients turned advocates) executed a Dads Day of Action on Capitol Hill to deliver our Pledge signatures, highlight the business support for paid leave and uplift the stories of real dads from across the country. 

PRESS

THE RESULTS