Calling all Men
Across the country, men are fighting for gender equity by pledging to take family leave if and when their family needs them.
Too often, women are pressured to step away from other goals to care for family members, while men who make the same choice are frequently met with social stigma.
This obstructs progress toward equity, hurting us all. Men taking leave to care for family members strengthens families, relationships, and progress toward gender equity.
It’s time to normalize caregiving among men.
By adding your name to the He Cares Pledge, you are joining a national network of men who are proud to act as caregivers, pledging that you will take – or have already taken – family leave to care for loved ones should the need arise.
Add Your Name
A note about inclusivity: While the conversation about men taking family leave often focuses on cisgender men in heterosexual couples, we recognize and celebrate the full diversity of family structures and encourage all men to take the pledge.
Learn more about the issue
Taking leave can be difficult, both socially and economically. In most of the United States, the decision to offer paid family leave is left entirely to employers – and as a result, most Americans don’t have access to paid parental leave. That’s especially true for those at lower income levels, for whom taking unpaid leave is even more difficult.
Yet even among men who do have access to paid family leave, many don’t use the full amount they’re entitled to – partially because of stigma, and partially because even paid leave often means taking a financial hit.
While there’s much work to be done to make fully paid family leave accessible to all Americans, men who do take parental leave overwhelmingly report being glad they did. The positive impacts include stronger relationships with partners and children, higher household income, higher morale and productivity in the workplace, and lower rates of postpartum depression among birthing parents.
By adding your name, or sharing this page with someone you think might be interested, you’re helping to normalize and celebrate one of the best things a man can do for his family, and for the ongoing fight for gender equity.