Special Report: Family Ties

What will my boss think? Sure, it would be swell to stay home with the wife and baby. But will I fall off the corporate ladder?

Those are questions many men ask when considering a paternity leave. Marc Greenhouse did not hesitate to take a month's leave three months ago, when his first child, daughter Ranit, was born. A 40-year-old data-processing systems analyst for Transamerica, Greenhouse began his time off a few days before his wife Dianne gave birth by caesarean section. He savored the days with his infant. Says he: "It was really a blessing."

Once he returned to work, Greenhouse continued to follow the 7 a.m.-to-3:15 p.m. schedule that he had chosen under Transamerica's flextime policy. He says his professional standing has not been affected by the leave. But his choice is not yet a common one: few of the fathers eligible for Transamerica's paternity leave actually take it.