Two members of the NYC Dads Group add their voices to the call for paid parental leave in the United States in a video produced by the United Nations’ body devoted to gender equality.

Scott Behson and Christopher Persley appear in the two-minute video, starring Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway, played to members of the UN at its International Women’s Day celebration in March. Hathaway is the global goodwill ambassador for UN Women, a nearly 7-year-old group the international body created to work toward eliminating discrimination against women and girls, and achieving equality between the genders.

The United States is the only developed country where paid work leave for mothers or fathers is not guaranteed. A 2014 research paper sponsored by U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau concludes paid parental leave benefits businesses, families and society while helping level the playing field for working women.

Persley has been active for several years advocating for paid parental leave as well as other gender equality and fatherhood issues. Behson is the author of The Working Dad’s Survival Guide.

Portions of the video were shot in Persley’s NYC apartment where his family hosted Hathaway and political scientist Elizabeth Nyamayaro, the senior advisor to the under secretary-general and executive director of UN Women. He wrote about the experience on his blog, The Brown Gothamite.

“The idea of working on a parental leave project with someone [like Hathaway] with a high profile was so encouraging,” Persley wrote. “It should bring some much needed attention to the cause.”

As a father of two and a self-proclaimed “Seasonal Stay at Home Dad” (I am a teacher 10 months of the year), I am challenged daily to not only balance my work and home life, but also to be successful at both. That’s why I immensely enjoyed Scott Behson’s book The Working Dad’s Survival Guide: How to Succeed at Work and at Home.

A lot of times when you pick up a book and you see “PhD” after the author’s name, you collide with an infusion of highbrow prose that may “say a lot” yet mean little to you. Behson keeps it real, though, and speaks to the reader in a manner that is neither demeaning nor superficial. What adds to the personal touch of the book is that it includes multiple personal accounts from other dads also trying to succeed while shouldering this delicate balance of two important worlds.

Behson does not lecture at you. He weaves personal anecdotes with those of other dads, research and (something that should not be underestimated) worksheets that help to truly illuminate the challenges and resources of being a working dad.

What I also enjoyed was the organization of the book. There are three sections: “Setting Work and Life Priorities” (I mean how can you be successful without examining what your priorities are/should be?), “Success at Work” and “Success at Home.”

There are many components of the book that deserve further inspection – finance, workplace flexibility, paternity leave, career management, protecting family time, etc. However, the chapter before the conclusion of the book is all about “Building Your Fatherhood Network.” Obviously, as a City Dads Group member, I was delighted to see this chapter (which includes words from our co-founders Matt Schneider and Lance Somerfeld). Amongs all the other aspects of being a working dad, this is one area that is often ignored by dads. We network professionally so why not fatherly? (Editor’s Note: The book’s author Scott Behson is a member of the NYC Dads Group.)

All, in all, Behson’s book is worth the read. It is designed, as Behson tells you at the beginning, to be read in pieces if need be. You can also find the worksheets referenced in the book online.  I would recommend this book to new working dads, veteran working dads, and any dad in between. It might also be a valuable resource for spouses of working dads.

For more information about Scott and his book The Working Dad ’s Survival Guide: How to Succeed at Work and at Home, be sure to check out his website.

Caring for the kids, doing chores around the home, and working hard to provide financially for the family – today’s fathers must do it all.

City Dads Group and A Better Balance, a work and family advocacy center, offer help doing so in the latest Modern Dads Podcast – “The Modern Dads’ Juggle.” 

This podcast, the audio of our recent webinar of the same name, has a panel of pros dispensing advice on:

• using employer policies and the law to support men considering starting a family
• paternity leave
• flexible work schedules
• caring for sick kids while holding a job.

The Working Dad’s Survival Guide author Scott Behson is among the speakers offers tips and resources to help dads be their our own best advocates in the workplace. He is a professor of management at Fairleigh Dickinson University, national expert in work and family issues, and was a featured speaker at the White House Summit on Working Families and at the United Nations International Day of the Family. He  founded and runs the popular blog, Fathers, Work, and Family, dedicated to helping working fathers and encouraging more supportive workplaces. He writes regularly for the Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post and Good Men Project, and has also been published in TIME, Success, Fast Company and The Wall Street Journal.     

A Better Balance leverages the power of the law to ensure that no worker has to make the impossible choice between their job and their family. We lead the charge for policies that help families, including paid sick leave and family leave, flexible work, pay equity, and policies that combat discrimination based on pregnancy and family status. Our efforts help people who work outside and inside the home achieve a better balance between providing for their families and caring for them. We believe that when all working parents and caregivers have a fair shot in the workplace, our families, our communities, and our nation are healthier and stronger.

Listen to The Modern Dads’ Juggle, the latest episode of our Modern Dads Podcast.

Download the presentations notes to the Modern Dad’s Juggle Webinar.

Special thanks to our friends at The Handsome Father, Dad 2.0 Summit and Life of Dad for co-sponsoring this webinar.