I'm not aware of any company or country that makes even maternity leave mandatory for the worker. And in every case where the kid isn't born directly from the mother's body, such as via surrogacy arrangements or via adoption, there's no inherent reason why one parent is biologically more likely to need time to recover than the other.
That said, it's absolutely a good thing to offer good paternity leave and encourage fathers to share the burden.
Social structures can help make this more possible than a small startup could otherwise afford.
For example, in Quebec where I currently live, there's a provincially run parental insurance plan which funds a benefit of partially paid parental leave by a payroll deduction, which employers sometimes augment further but the provincial part still goes a long way.
It's mandatory for employers and self-employed people to fund the system; use of benefits, and the choice between different benefit packages, is at the option of the new-parent worker.
That said, it's absolutely a good thing to offer good paternity leave and encourage fathers to share the burden.
Social structures can help make this more possible than a small startup could otherwise afford.
For example, in Quebec where I currently live, there's a provincially run parental insurance plan which funds a benefit of partially paid parental leave by a payroll deduction, which employers sometimes augment further but the provincial part still goes a long way.
It's mandatory for employers and self-employed people to fund the system; use of benefits, and the choice between different benefit packages, is at the option of the new-parent worker.