What your missing is this: it’s not the parents who are at the top of the hierarchy, it’s the children. Parental “leave” of any kind, be it an early exit from work one day, or months post-birth, is a societal acknowledgement that there are tiny people who are unable to care for themselves to a greater or lesser degree, who need to call upon their primary carers (often, but not always, their birth parents).

None of this is in any way a reward to the parents – it’s a necessity for the proper development of a new human being.