Nev Schulman who is best known for his role as the host of MTV’s show Catfish, recently surprised fans and social media followers with the announcement that fiancée, Laura Perlongo, was pregnant. Shulman and Perlongo teamed up with attn: to make a video about paternity leave, which he posted on Facebook.
The video begins with playful music and a narrator saying, “Nev and Laura explain why you need time off work after having a baby.” While giving Perlongo an envy-inducing foot massage, Nev says, “America is really bad when it comes to paid leave for moms,” after which the narrator explains, “The U.S. is the only industrialized country that doesn’t offer paid maternity leave.”
Schulman cites statistics about maternity versus paternity leave time. He explains, “Globally, moms get an average of 106 days of paid leave for a new baby, while dads only get an average of seven.” Perlongo calls these statistics “totally sexist” because “it’s basically saying that taking care of a baby is a woman’s job.”
Schulman and Perlongo also say time spent with young children can have positive effects later in life. Perlongo explains, “Researchers in Norway found that paternity leave actually enhances children’s performance in secondary school.”
Watch the full video below:
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