Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg is going to take two months of paternity leave when his daughter is born.

In a post on the website, he said outcomes are better for children and families when working parents take time off to be with their new babies.

The billionaire wrote: "At Facebook we offer our US employees up to four months of paid maternity or paternity leave which they can take throughout the year.

"Every day things are getting a little more real for us, and we're excited to start this next stage in our lives," he added.

Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan announced in July that they were expecting their first child, following three miscarriages.

The couple explained that "most people don't discuss miscarriages because you worry your problems will distance you or reflect upon you - as if you're defective or did something to cause this. So you struggle on your own.

"We hope that sharing our experience will give more people the same hope we felt and will help more people feel comfortable sharing their stories".

In this year's Budget, the Irish Government announced measures for two weeks of statutory paid paternity leave.