On Duty or Diaper Duty? Impacts of Job Satisfaction, Perceptions of Organizational Support, Stigma, and Leader-Member Exchange on Paternity Leave-Taking Intentions.

Given the mounting social and governmental support for better paternity leave options in the United States, it is surprising that a recent national study found that "male respondents were far more likely [than female respondents] to indicate that they do not plan to take advantage of their workplace paid parental leave benefits," (Deloitte, 2016). This finding may be explained by regulatory barriers that have risen due to the basic nature of the Family and Medical Leave Act and barriers rising from factors in the social environment, such as stigma and leader-member exchange (LMX). We built hypotheses from the social exchange perspective, emphasizing the role of communication as the primary facilitator of relational development. Data gathered from 92 fathers employed at a large midwestern university indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between perceived paternity leave-related stigma and paternity leave intentions, and that fathers with high LMX perceived less stigma from their supervisors than those with low LMX. Implications and findings for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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