Ingrid Robeyns over at Crooked Timber posts today on the debate in the Netherlands over granting paid leave to fathers so that they can participate in the care of their new born children.  She provides several grounds in defense of this idea.  I would like to add another justificatory basis, one that might not come immediately to some minds: Confucianism.

    There are good liberal reasons for paternal birthleave: gender equity, social justice and humanitarian compassion (i.e. making sure babies get the best care possible).   But Confucianism offers a rather different take, one that comes closer to communitarianism.

     First of all, for those who do not think about Confucianism in these terms, it must be said that any modern application of this school of thought must reject its patriarchal history.  Confucianism was used by men to dominate women historically but Confucianism is also a more universal ethical theory that is gender neutral.  For those skeptical of a feminist Confucianism, check this out.  That is what I am taking about, and what I assume. 

     From a Confucian perspective, then, Humanity, the highest moral achievement (which is both a personal goal and a collective accomplishment) is attained through the cultivation of our closest loving relationships.  We find our own personal goodness and identity in our actions toward others; we are nothing in isolation.  No methodological individualism here.

      Of course, Confucius talks a lot about the duty that children owe their parents in this regard, filial piety.  But this focus is largely pedagogic: all of us must be taught how to create Humanity and, for children, the earliest lessons come through their relationships with their parents.  If we follow the logic of Humanity, however, and if we take seriously the Confucian statement to "cherish the young," then we will also see that Humanity is fundamentally shaped by parents caring for their children.  Traditionally, much of this care work fell to women, but if men want to create and reproduce Humanity, they must be full participants in this care.  Modernity, in the sense of enabling greater gender equality, actually opens up more opportunities for Confucian ethical achievement for men.

     Now, it could be argued that Confucius held that fathers should not teach their sons, they should not act as their children’s elementary and high school teachers.  He did say that, and Mencius echoes it.  And this might suggest a certain arms-length relationship between parents and children.  But we have to remember why Confucius and Mencius take this position; Mencius says it best:

Kung-sun Ch’ou said: "Why is it the noble-minded never teach their own children?"

"The way people are, it’s impossible," replied Mencius.  "A teacher’s task is to perfect the student, and if the student doesn’t improve, the teacher gets angry.  When the teacher gets angry, the student in turn feels hurt: You demand perfection, but you’re nowhere near perfect yourself.  So father and son would only hurt each other.  And it’s a tragedy when fathers and sons hurt each other.

"the ancients taught each other’s children.  That way father and son never demand perfect virtue of one another.  If they demand perfect virtue of one another, they grow distant.  And nothing is more ominous than fathers and sons grown distant from one another." (7.18)

     There is a lot in the passage (some warnings for home schoolers as well as sage advice for parents of teenagers), but let me turn it back to the birthleave question.

     Clearly, from a Confucian point of view, maintaining close and loving – and I would emphasize the love here – relationships between parents and children (generalizing from the father-son tie), is of the utmost importance.  Infant care is the time and place when those relationships are forged: children are at their most vulnerable, as are parents, and parents are at their most indispensable.  All are learning more about what it means to be human.  And how better to do that then for parents, fathers included, to care intimately for their children?

     Infant care is not the same as the virtue-perfecting education that comes later; so, fathers should definitely be deeply engaged in it. 

      Work, for Confucians, should never be allowed to interfere with more basic and significant Humanity-creating family obligations.  It is not even a close call: family duty trumps work commitments.

      So, give them two week paid leave to do the care work.  At least two weeks.  If our society truly valued its children and its families and its social relationships, we would give fathers even more paid leave to care for their new born children.

UPDATE: Laura noticed this as well.