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BOSTON - When James Mahaffey, 37, of Boston, had a choice between renewing a contract with an investment company and starting his own media production company, he chose the latter. Part of the reason, he said, was he wanted time to spend with his newborn child.

Mahaffey, a father of two who co-founded a Boston dad's group and teaches classes for new fathers, said men he knows typically cobble together a couple of days of holiday leave or vacation time to take care of their babies.

Requiring companies to give new fathers time off, Mahaffey said, could have "substantial benefits to society as a whole."..

..Mahaffey said he hopes a cultural shift accompanies the new law, in which employers tell employees that it is okay to take the time off.

"One thing you'll have with men and fathers, maybe it's there, but it's unspoken or not really talked about enough that you should really take the time," Mahaffey said.