Facebook CEO Zuckerberg to take two months of paternity leave

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Mark Zuckerberg will take two months of paternity leave - six weeks MORE time off than Marissa Mayer took after birth and two months less than he offers his employees
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'Outcomes are better for children and families when working parents take time off to be with their newborns,' Zuckerberg said in a post Friday
Zuckerberg and his doctor wife, Priscilla, revealed in July that they were expected their first child, a girl, after a series of miscarriages
Facebook gives US employees four months' paid maternity/paternity leave
Google gives 18 weeks maternity leave and 12 weeks paternity, Microsoft gives 12 weeks, and Netflix allows for one year maternity leave
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has said she plans to take two weeks maternity leave when she gives birth to twins next month, as she did with her son
Toms shoes CEO Blake said he will take 12 weeks off after his son's birth

By Dailymail.com Reporter and Reuters Reporter

Published: 20:39 EST, 20 November 2015 | Updated: 03:17 EST, 21 November 2015

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Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday he will take two months of paternity leave after his daughter's birth, a strong statement from one of the busiest and most powerful U.S. executives on the importance of family time.

Silicon Valley technology firms have rushed to extend parental leave allowances and other benefits in an attempt to recruit and retain talent, but many workers do not take advantage for fear of falling behind at work or missing out on promotions.

Facebook, the world's biggest online social network, allows its U.S. employees to take up to four months of paid maternity or paternity leave, which can be used all at once or throughout the first year of their child's life, a policy which is generous by U.S. standards.

Comparatively, Google gives 18 weeks' maternity leave and 12 weeks' paternity, Microsoft gives new parents 12 weeks off, and Netflix recently announced that employees can take one whole year.

Taking time to be a dad: Mark Zuckerberg announced Friday he will take two months off following the impending arrival of his daughter with wife Priscilla (pictured with him earlier this year)

The post Zuckerberg put up Friday showed the couple's dog, Beast, next to a baby seat and carriage

Zuckerberg announced in July that he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were expecting a baby girl.

A 2015 study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 21 per cent of employers it surveyed offered paid maternity leave, and 17 percent provided paid paternity leave.

'This is a very personal decision,' Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page, along with a picture of a stroller, a yellow baby carrier and his dog, Beast. 'Studies show that when working parents take time to be with their newborns, outcomes are better for the children and families.'

Zuckerberg, 31, did not say who would be running the company while he is out.

Facebook did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

It is likely that chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, who oversees all of Facebook's advertising, will assume leadership.

Zuckerberg largely oversees products, but will likely rely on chief product officer Chris Cox while he is out.

Sandberg commented and congratulated Zuckerberg and his wife. Noting the baby's upcoming birth, she wrote in her post: 'I can't wait to meet her.'

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg (left), a longtime campaigner for women's rights in the workplace, will likely take over from Zuckerberg. Meanwhile, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer (right) has announced she will take a 'limited' maternity leave of two weeks when she gives birth to twins next month

Making progress: Toms shoes founder Blake Mycoski recently announced he will take two months paternity leave to welcome the birth of his son with wife Heather (pictured together in May)

Zuckerberg's decision is unusual among high-level tech executives.

Yahoo Inc CEO Marissa Mayer took two weeks off after her first child's birth in 2012, and when she announced she was pregnant with identical twin girls in September, she said she would be taking limited maternity leave and 'working throughout'.

The twins are due in December.

'Since my pregnancy has been healthy and uncomplicated and since this is a unique time in Yahoo's transformation, I plan to approach the pregnancy and delivery as I did with my son three years ago, taking limited time away and working throughout,' Mayer said when she released the news.

Mayer took over as Yahoo chief shortly before giving birth to her son.

Many made disparaging remarks about her maternity decisions, arguing that, for someone who upholds herself as a feminist, she is setting a bad example for women in the workplace.

In August, Toms shoes founder and CEO Blake Mycoskie told his company that he was taking 12 weeks off after the birth of his son, Next Shark reported.

Mycoskie was praised for what as a move of encouragement for employees to take their parent benefits.

Expecting: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan will soon welcome a daughter following a series a setbacks. Here they attend the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2014 in Sun Valley, Idaho

The following year, Yahoo increased to eight weeks the amount of paid leave parents take after the birth of a child.

New mothers at Yahoo can take off an additional eight weeks.

Zuckerberg's post generated more than 50,000 'likes' in one hour and nearly 3,000 comments. Many of the comments lauded his decision and said it sent a positive message about U.S. parental leave policies.