Many companies offer paid parental leave, and more of them will start offering it beginning January 1, 2016.
Organizations with existing leave programs have extended them to fathers and same-sex couples.
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook says it's the right thing to do. "Studies show that when working parents take time to be with their newborns, outcomes are better for the children and families," he said.
Facebook has increased its parental-leave policy to four months of paid time off for all employees globally.
Businesses competing for talented workers, including Amazon.com, Netflix, and Microsoft, have instituted new parental-leave programs or increased the amount of paid time off under their programs.