Fathers face pressure to provide for their pregnant wife. I too would take five years off to look after babies. However, without a husband of my own, I cannot. The fact is that between my wife and I it makes more sense to invest in my career. We both graduated at the same time with the same degree. We both worked and earned the same salary. Then she wanted a baby. For the past two and a half years we’ve been dealing with very complicated pregnancies and my wife wants more babies. Okay, I love babies, but the fact is that while she could have worked had her pregnancies been easy, she cannot work now. Thus, I work because I am forced to provide for our family, not because I don’t want to spend time with babies. It’s just biological reality that no matter what we do there will be women like my wife who have complicated pregnancies and good men and husbands who will make the sacrifice of not spending time with children to ensure their children’s future. It’s not just about money and food. It’s about securing a place in society, which is not something any government welfare program can provide. Making business connections, colleague relationships, etc now will have a lasting impact on my family’s social status and it simply makes more sense for men to do that. Believe me, my wife and I would love for things to be different, but it really comes down to biology.
When I express my sadness that I have to work and can’t be with children all day long (same complaint my father and grandfather had), my wife often jokes that I should find a husband. It’s funny, but it’s ultimately true. Men are simply better able to do the sorts of things I take on in my family and women at the things my wife does
Fathers don't have any biological pressure, but mothers have a biological pressure to take the time off. Hence, on average, more women will take time off than men.
You are giving a reason not to deny a mother time with a child, not a reason for a father to spend less. There is no "biological pressure" that forces fathers to go back to work.
(as it happens, fathers can breastfeed, albeit not literally. Mothers can pump breastmilk for fathers to feed to the child, or they can use formula. It's a perfectly viable way to raise a child, and people do)
The fact that a factor in baby care taking (breastfeeding) is only possible for females creates a small bias in favor of female care taking.
The factor is small, and can be mitigated with little (but not null) effort.
My point is that OPs argument holds some water. Notably, it suffices to support the statement 'women are more likely to want to be care-taker than men'. There remains an argument about magnitude, and compensating effects, but there is a difference.
