Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
The papas join the mamas
Organization | Work-life balance
March 22, 2021 – Hands up for the last time you saw a survey result of 100 percent. Our survey on paternity leave produced this rare result: men were unanimously happy about their experience. Only 20 percent were even slightly worried about career risk.
To read the article, see “A fresh look at paternity leave: Why the benefits extend beyond the personal,” March 5, 2021.
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Visual form
Three-panel icon-array comparison chart.
Layout / body structure
The chart places three 10-by-10 icon arrays side by side across the page, each anchored by a large number and a short explanatory caption. Reader moves left to right from overall satisfaction with taking paternity leave to relationship improvement and then to concern about career setback.
What is being compared
It compares three views reported by men who took paternity leave: whether they were glad they took it and would do so again, whether they noticed an improvement in their relationship with their partner, and whether they felt the risk of a career setback was the main downside but that the benefits outweighed that worry.
Measurement system
The measure is percent of respondents. Each panel uses a 100-icon array in which filled blue figures show the reported share and gray figures show the remainder, with the headline values printed as 100, 90, and 20.
Visible structure inside the graphic
All three panels use the same person-icon grid, which makes the contrast between near-unanimous positives and the much smaller career-setback concern visually immediate. The first panel is fully filled, the second is almost completely filled, and the third leaves most of the grid gray.
Main takeaway from the visual
Men who took paternity leave overwhelmingly describe it as a positive experience, while only a relatively small minority say the risk of career setback remained a meaningful downside. The three icon arrays make the positive responses feel dominant and the downside concern comparatively limited.
Key standout values or extremes
The chart shows 100 percent saying they were glad they took the leave and would do so again, 90 percent saying it improved their relationship with their partner, and 20 percent saying career-setback risk was the main downside but that the benefits still outweighed the worry.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.