THE ECONOMIC CASE for Paternity Leave. Problem is, men who take paternity leave take a big hit to their careers.

Well, except in France, where, as Mark Steyn noted: “What gives you a better grasp of the realities of Europe today? The front-page reports on the G8 and the U.S.-EU summit? The in-depth profile of Jacques Chirac or Dominique de Villepin? Or the small space-filler about a French police lieutenant promoted to captain despite spending 12 of the last 18 years on ‘paternity leave,’ in the course of which he wrote three books about the Beatles. As a summation of contemporary Europe that could hardly be improved.” So, is there a lesson here?