Even with equal paternity leave, I think we all know that it will be used at a much lower rate than maternity leave. And so will employers. It will still be much riskier to hire young women than men if turnover is costly.

> I think we all know that it will be used at a much lower rate

It's a circular argument, since the main reason men aren't taking time off work to devote to parenting is the absence of such a leave.

The reality is that if you provide the leave, everyone will use it. (I work for a company that provides one, though a rather short one).

Ideally, the law will be written such that it's not an either-or scenario, and both parents could take the leave consecutively should they choose to (e.g. eligibility for a 6-month leave starting within 6 months of becoming a new parent).

And this will make it much harder for companies to discriminate, as it spreads the risks out. Old men can (and do) father children too.

> It's a circular argument, since the main reason men aren't taking time off work to devote to parenting is the absence of such a leave.

This is not true. Germany introduced paid paternity leave, and the rates that men use it is still far lower than the rates of maternity leave usage. [1] Other countries might differ, Google wasn't providing me very good results for paternity vs maternity leave usage.

[1] https://www.jstor.org/stable/43488388?seq=1

Uh, no, men on average just prefer to work rather than stay home with children. It's not a good thing, imo, but it is just the nature of man.