Having fathers become equal partners seems to enrich the lives of both parents – and the men in the Solbackens playroom say they are getting the balance right.
“I personally haven’t had any fears of getting off track with my career,” says Olav Fromm, a product marketing manager at a pharmaceutical company currently on a six-month leave with his year-old daughter.
“I think we do not define ourselves through work in the way our parents’ generation did,” the father of four explains, adding, “At the same time, now you have more professional women with demanding careers ... and the parental leave helps make that possible.”
Being on leave has made him a better father and probably a better husband, Mr. Fromm says, but men out pushing strollers on a work day can still draw stares.
“I went with three other fathers to a museum,” he recalls. “There were 40 Japanese tourists, all men, and they were taking photos of us.”
Special to The Globe and Mail
