Fathers filed 51% of California’s paid bonding-leave claims in 2025, surpassing mothers for the first time since the state program began in 2004, when men accounted for about 18% of claims. The shift is part of a broader trend in states with paid family-leave programs. Men make up about half of bonding claims in California and several other states, and fathers have also outnumbered mothers in Colorado and Washington, according to a 2026 report by Paid Leave for All, an advocacy group. California’s program provides up to eight weeks of paid leave within a year of a birth, adoption or foster-care placement. The benefit is separate from the disability leave available to mothers recovering from childbirth. In 2025, California increased the share of wages some workers can replace while on leave; the benefit can now reach 90% of regular pay. Karlo Campana, an ad-agency employee in Southern California and father of three children under 4, took paid bonding leave after each child’s birth. He said time away from work helped him support his wife and care for the newborns without losing income. “‘My wife isn’t doing it on her own,’” Campana said of his decision to take leave. He said he initially felt guilty, reflecting what he described as an expectation that fathers should provide for their families by working. California is one of 14 states, along with Washington, D.C., that have enacted paid family-leave programs. The federal government does not guarantee paid parental leave. California’s program is funded entirely through employee payroll deductions, one of six state programs financed that way. Policy director Molly Weston Williamson of Paid Leave for All said changing expectations about fathers’ roles and greater awareness of the program may be helping drive the increase. She also pointed to the higher wage-replacement benefit, which can make taking leave more financially realistic for families. But the claims data cannot establish why the shares changed. A California Employment Development Department spokesperson said the agency could not give a definitive explanation. Williamson said the figures do not show, among other things, whether more fathers are working and eligible for benefits or whether fewer mothers are taking leave. The data covers people who used the state program, not all workers who may have received leave through private employers. The figures arrive amid mounting concerns about the cost of raising children. A 2025 American Family Survey found that seven in 10 Americans considered raising children unaffordable. In a separate 2026 Pew Research Center survey, 84% of full-time working parents who were not self-employed said paid parental, family or medical leave would be extremely or very helpful, while about half said it was available to them.