Variations in Paternity Leave Policies Across US Companies and Institutions: An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT Paid parental leave is a key factor in promoting gender equity, supporting child development, and fostering paternal involvement. Despite its benefits, the United States (US) lacks a national paid leave policy, with substantial disparities in access and implementation across industries and institutions. To characterize the availability and equity of paid paternity leave policies across US private‐sector companies and academic institutions affiliated with Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) residency programs, and to examine disparities by industry. We analyzed publicly reported leave policies using two sources: crowd‐sourced data from US private‐sector companies via theSkimm and publicly available policies OB/GYN residency‐affiliated institutions listed in the American Medical Association's (AMA) Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access (FREIDA) database. Employers were included if they specified the duration of paid parental leave, excluding those with unlimited vacation, missing duration, or no paternity leave data. Employers were grouped by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. We compared average leave durations and rates of leave equity. Among 565 private‐sector companies, 81.9% offered paid paternity leave. After exclusion, only 45.8% offered equal maternity and paternity leave ( n = 498). Fathers received 9.7 weeks on average versus 15.5 for mothers ( p < 0.001). Among 240 OB/GYN‐affiliated institutions, 75.7% of those offering paid leave provided equal durations, though paternity leave was shorter than that in the private sector (6.1 vs. 9.7 weeks; p < 0.001). Academic institutions may prioritize equity more than private employers, but offer less generous leave overall. National standards are needed to reduce disparities.