Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has described parental leave as “absolutely essential” for society.
Tánaiste Simon Harris is currently on paternity leave, following the birth of his third child, Aoileann.
The baby girl was born on 7th October, just before the Minister for Finance delivered Budget 2027.
The Fine Gael leader said that being a father is his “most important job” and paternity leave is “important and needed”.
“Mothers do so much, us fathers need to be able to step up too and also to have that precious time,” he wrote on Instagram.
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However, research by the ESRI indicates that Minister Harris is far from a typical father.
Only half of fathers in Ireland take paternity leave, while only a quarter take Parent’s Leave. By contrast, two-thirds of mothers take Parent’s leave.
It means that childcare remains generally the responsibility of women in Irish society, with the ESRI concluding that low rates of pay while on leave are a "significant" deterrent.
On The Hard Shoulder, Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said that parental leave is “absolutely essential” for everyone in society.
His third child, Róisín, was born prematurely and spent several months in hospital.
“I think we need to have a wider understanding, a more compassionate understanding for the trials and tribulations of parenthood,” he argued.
“Those who lose pregnancies, those who go through miscarriage, anybody who's expected to work normally or to function professionally in such a circumstance, it's just completely unfair.
“My daughter, Roisin, spent 100 days in intensive care after she was born.
“Anybody in that situation, it would be extremely challenging for them to keep going, to keep the lights on, the food on the table and to work away as if everything is normal - when it absolutely isn't.”
Main image: Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and his daughter. Image: Supplied.
