Facebook Chief Mark Zuckerberg announced on Friday that he will take two months paternity leave after his wife gives birth to their first child.
“This is a very personal decision, and I’ve decided to take two months of paternity leave when our daughter arrives,” Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook page.
“Studies show that when working parents take time to be with their newborns, outcomes are better for the children and families.”
California-based Facebook gives US employees the option of taking as long as four months paid maternity or paternity leaves, letting them divide the time how they wish over the course of a year.
Zuckerberg and his doctor wife, Priscilla, revealed in July that they were expected their first child, a girl, after a series of miscarriages.
Priscilla’s pregnancy was far enough along that the risk of loss is low, according to Zuckerberg.
His choice to take two months of paternity leave contrasts with word in September from Yahoo chief Marissa Mayer that she will take only “limited time away” from running the Internet firm after giving birth to identical twin girls.
She said the twins — “quite a surprise” — are likely to arrive 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 in mid-2012, shortly before giving birth to a son. 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.
