Fortune and fame couldn’t stop the life-threatening complications Serena Williams faced as she battled pulmonary embolisms after the birth of her daughter, Olympia, in 2017. By her side, Alexis Ohanian, her devoted husband (co-founder and managing partner of Initialized Capital and co-founder of Reddit), cared for both Williams and their newborn daughter. In the days that followed, Williams suffered a rupture in the stitches binding her cesarean wound and required daily medical treatment that rendered her immobile. Along Williams’s path to recovery, Ohanian was there every step of the way. Unlike many men in America, he had access to and unapologetically took his parental leave. Now he advocates for all new dads to have the same access and ability to paternity leave.
On October 22nd, Ohanian, along with Dove Men+Care, will join the non-profit Paid Leave US (PL+US) and head to Capitol Hill for a Dads’ Day of Action to raise awareness for paid parental leave. As it stands, the United States is the only industrialized country in the world that doesn’t mandate paid parental leave for its labor force. Which is nothing short of a disgrace, especially for a country committed to otherwise honoring family values.
While tradition runs deep in this country, gone are the days of female homemakers and male breadwinners. In fact, among millennials, we’re more likely to find households identifying as breadsharers. The modern American family where both parents work and share in domestic responsibilities is the status quo. And for 85% of fathers, they welcome the opportunity to participate in parenting their children equally.
Notably more dads are stepping up and publicly taking paternity leave, including Daniel Hudson, pitcher of the Washington Nationals who missed game 1 of the NLCS, and Chance the Rapper, who pushed back his tour until 2020 to care for his young daughters. Millennials and Gen Z are re-setting the expectations of men and their roles as fathers, and the movement couldn’t have a better advocate in Ohanian, who is not only a doting dad but someone who recognized the cultural significance and impact of destigmatizing his leave:
When I was born in 1983, my father took a single day off work. He used a vacation day…I don’t blame my dad, or anybody else’s dad, for not taking time off after a child’s birth. Our culture makes it difficult.
Alexis Ohanian
For his part, Ohanian was empowered by taking care of his family during this critical time and gained confidence in his parenting skills as a result. And he wants the same for all fathers. In his role at Initialized Capital, he recognizes the importance of setting up the culture of start-ups and utilizes his influence as one of the first big checks to provide founders with “air-cover” to create cultures that provide paid family leave and force awareness of the issue right from the beginning.
However, Ohanian’s partnership and commitment to paid family leave goes far beyond his circle of influence in the investor community. He acknowledges that most fathers aren’t building their own companies and aren’t in positions with the privilege to use or even have access to parental leave.
Nothing could have dragged me away from my wife and daughter in those hours, days, and weeks — and I’m grateful that I was never forced to choose between my family and my job.
Alexis Ohanian
Through it’s $1 million Paternity Leave fund, Dove Men+Care functions not only as a resource for paternity leave advocates but helps dads in need of financial assistance who desperately want to take time off but don’t have access to paid leave through their employers.
Katie Bethell, founder and Executive Director of PL+US, has been a champion of paid family leave since 2006. Back then, she says, “We couldn’t get men to even engage, and now they see themselves as an important voice. It’s incredible to see the transformation taking place as men join the conversation.”
We’re banking on Ohanian doing for paid leave what his (#GOAT) wife has done for sports. It’s time to shift the narrative and include all those willing to engage in the conversation surrounding family leave. As we continue to amplify our voices, we encourage everyone to join the chorus: we want paid parental leave for all, and we want it now. So join the pledge and make your voice heard.
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